Vasopressin in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus and benign intracranial hypertension

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Abstract
Plasma and CSF vasopressin (CSF-AVP) and osmolality were studied in 28 patients with cervical or lumbar pain syndromes (control patients), 11 patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and 5 patients with benign intracranial hypertension (BIH). Lumbar CSF-AVP to a high extent reflected the actual ventricular CSF-AVp concentration. In all groups CSF-AVP was lower than plasma AVP. Mean CSF-AVP in the control group was 1.3 pg/ml .+-. 0.1 (standard error of the mean). In the NPH patients, who all suffered from severe dementia, CSF-AVP level was not different from that found in the control group (1.4 pg/ml .+-. 0.2). In contrast to the findings in the 2 other groups CSF osmolality in BIH patients was higher than plasma osmolality (P < 0.02). CSF-AVP in the BIH patients, characterized by an elevated intracranial pressure, was higher than in the control group (2.7 pg/ml .+-. 0.4, P < 0.001).

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