Brain surgeon is optimistic Billy Joel will perform again following brain condition diagnosis
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
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A brain surgeon who practices in Connecticut and New York says he is optimistic that Bill Joel will perform again after he had to cancel all upcoming concerts following the announcement that he was diagnosed with a neurological condition known as normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
The disorder is caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
"That's a situation where there's more fluid than there should be within the brain and that leads to an issue of the brain being stretched," says Dr. Marc Otten of Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists.
Otten did not treat the 76-year-old music legend but has treated patients with NPH and has seen them not only recover, but resume doing what they love.
Symptoms include having difficulty with cognition, walking and bladder control.
Otten says some people don't realize they have NPH because they assume their symptoms are just part of aging.
"Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a condition we often see in older people, around [Joel’s] age or even a little bit younger," says Otten.
However, Otten says the disorder can progress, so treating it early is the best way to reverse symptoms.
"There's a device called a shunt that can be placed and the idea is that you are taking that excess fluid on the brain and shunting it to another part of the body often either the bloodstream or the abdomen," he says.
