Addenbrooke's Hospital has received global attention after 36 patients who feared they were suffering from dementia underwent life-changing surgery.
The patients were experiencing a little-known condition called Norman Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), which is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's.
The condition can be reversed with a valve - called a shunt - which is inserted in the brain.
Addenbrooke's Hospital opened the 'REVERT' dementia clinic as part of the Reversible Dementia Project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Since the clinic opened in June last year, a total of 112 patients have been referred and reviewed in the clinic. Following 36 patients receiving the surgery, a further 12 are on the waiting list and waiting times have been reduced by 37 per cent.
An international conference was held on Monday, March 13 at Homerton College, Cambridge to highlight the impact of NPH and the success of the REVERT clinic.
The project is a cross-border collaboration between the UK and France, led by the University of Cambridge, and more than 20 experts from Europe presented at the conference.
Addenbrooke's consultant neurosurgeon, and REVERT clinical lead, Alexis Joannides, described how his clinic - a multi-disciplinary 'one-stop shop' for suspected NPH sufferers - has helped to transform both the lives of those who experience the condition and the lives of their loved ones.
Through the clinic, patients thought to have NPH have access to advanced diagnostics, including a specialised brain MRI and lumbar infusion study pioneered by the Brain Physics Laboratory in Cambridge.
The process involves putting fluid into the spine via a needle and calculating the resistance of cerebrospinal fluid leaving the brain. If the tests are consistent with NPH, then surgery may be considered to insert a shunt.
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Mr Joannides and his colleagues said they have seen "miraculous results", and are hoping to get NHS support as REVERT funding draws to a close.
He said: "We have seen some amazing results in this country, and in Europe, and the symposium is a way of showcasing these and discussing a wide range of initiatives aimed at improving patient care, and knowledge sharing."
One success from the project was grandmother Jackie Middleditch, from Lowestoft in Suffolk.
After treatment, Jackie was able to overcome incontinence, confusion and the inability to stand, and has now gone back to gardening, walking and playing with her grandchildren.
At the time Jackie - who made TV, radio and newspaper headlines - said of Addenbrooke's: "They have given me the gift of new life."
The Hydrocephalus Association estimates that nearly 700,000 adults have NPH, but less than 20 per cent are diagnosed.
The REVERT project is led by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the University of Picardie Jules Verne and the University of Artois, and the university hospitals of Cambridge, Amiens, Brest and Caen - as well as healthcare informatics company Obex Technologies.
It is funded by the ERDF via the Interreg France (Channel) England Programme.
For more information about the REVERT project visit https://revertproject.org.
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