J Korean Med Sci.  2001 Aug;16(4):532-536. 10.3346/jkms.2001.16.4.532.

Secondary Amenorrhea Caused by Hydrocephalus Due to Aqueductal Stenosis : Report of Two Cases

• Lee JK
• Kim JH
• Kim JS
• Kim TS
• Jung S
• Kim SH
• Kang SS
• Lee JH

• KMID: 648318
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2001.16.4.532

Abstract

Amenorrhea is rarely presented as a manifestation of endocrinological disturbances in patients of chronic hydrocephalus. We describe two cases of secondary amenorrhea caused by hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis. Two female patients of age 30 and 20 yr presented with amenorrhea and increasing headache. Magnetic resonance images revealed marked, noncommunicating hydrocephalus without any tumorous lesion. In one patient, emergent extraventricular drainage was necessary because of progressive neurological deterioration. Each patient underwent surgical intervention for the hydrocephalus-ventriculoperitoneal shunt and endoscopic third ventriculostomy. Both resumed normal menstruation continuing so far with further normal menstrual bleeding. These two cases and others reported in the literature indicated that the surgical intervention for hydrocephalus resolves amenorrhea in all the cases of amenorrhea due to hydrocephalus. The suspected role of the surgery is the correction of increased intracranial pressure, which is an important pathogenetic factor in the development of amenorrhea.

Keyword

Amenorrhea; Hydrocephalus; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt; Ventriculostomy

MeSH Terms

Adult
Amenorrhea/*etiology
*Cerebral Aqueduct
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts
Female
Gonadorelin/deficiency
Human
Hydrocephalus/*complications