Loss of balance and concentration, poor vision, incontinence and lack of focus. MRI brain ruled out MS. What could be the reason?
Patient: My brother is 47 years old and is experiencing severe loss of balance, loss of coordination, lack of focus, poor vision and now incontinence . His condition has deteriorated in the last month and now he can t be left by himself. He has had an mri on his brain and tomorrow will undergo a spinal tap. His neurologist has ruled out MS. What could it be? What should we be asking his neurologist? Doctor: Hello mrs.espo13.  Welcome to healthcaremagic.com.  A month is a very short time for your brother to develop these symptoms.  An MRI should have shown a tumor or another cause like MS.  Your brother's symptoms are all most likely related.  There is a disease called hydrocephalus.  Hydrocephalus is defined as "water on the brain" and is more common in children than adults.  However hydrocephalus is also found in adults and may occur insidiously (unknown cause) or after a brain injury.    Hydrocephalus is characterized, in adults, with rapid onset (usually months), and has the symptoms of poor vision, loss of balance, loss of coordination, mental disturbance (loss of focus), and incontinence.  Your brother has a lot of the symptoms of hydrocephalus.  A spinal tap is the next step in diagnosing and treating hydrocephalus.    If your brother's symptoms improve or resolve after the spinal tap, it would be advisable for you and your brother's neurologist to discuss if your brother is a candidate for a V-P shunt.  A V-P shunt is placed in the brain and into the abdominal cavity to drain the excess cerebral spinal fluid from his brain into his abdomen, where the fluid is reabsorbed.    I hope that this information helps and good luck to you and your brother.    Be well, Dr. Kimberly