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<\/a> This damages the brain and impairs the child\u2019s development.\u00a0 Babies feed poorly, are irritable, vomit and fail to develop basic motor or cognitive skills.\u00a0\u00a0 In older children and adults the enlarging ventricles cause pressure in the brain.\u00a0 This results in headaches, vomiting, crossed eyes, poor balance, and eventually lethargy and death.<\/p>\nWhat causes hydrocephalus?<\/p>\n
Hydrocephalus is caused by an imbalance between the rate of CSF production and its absorption.\u00a0 The brain makes CSF at a relatively constant rate, mostly within the ventricles.\u00a0 The fluid flows through the ventricles of the brain, exits the base of brain and is then reabsorbed back into the blood stream.\u00a0 The build up of\u00a0 CSF in hydrocephalus is nearly always caused by a blockage to the flow of CSF within the brain or an impairment of the CSF absorption pathways outside the brain.\u00a0 Some of the blockages are structural; such as a scarring in the narrow fluid channel between the 3rd<\/sup> and 4th<\/sup> ventricle (know as aqueduct stenosis), a tumor or a developmental abnormality.<\/p>\n The arrows show the direction of CSF from where it formed, in the ventricles, to where it is absorbed outside the brain.\u00a0(From:http:\/\/www.control.tfe.umu.se\/Ian\/CSF\/)<\/p><\/div>\n Infections of the brain, particularly when they occur early in life, can cause loss of the brain\u2019s ability to absorb CSF.\u00a0 This can be the result of bacterial, viral or parasitic infections, which are a significant problem in developing countries.\u00a0 These infections are frequently contracted around the time of birth, and although uncommon in the developed world, cause at least half of the hydrocephalus cases treated by our team in Haiti.<\/p>\n How is hydrocephalus diagnosed?<\/p>\n In infants and children under the age of two years the gradual build up of fluid results in excessive head growth.\u00a0 The head appears much larger then would be normal for the child\u2019s age when compared to normal children.\u00a0 In these children the diagnosis can be made easily by measuring the head circumference and plotting the size against the age on a growth curve .\u00a0 These children will have a large soft spot (fontanel), which is usually tense.\u00a0 The scalp veins may appear more pronounced and the eyes may appear to be \u2018setting\u2019 on the lower lid.\u00a0 An ultrasound can be used to see the size of the fluid spaces through the open fontanel. In older children and adults, or if a better view of the structures of the brain is required, a CT scan or MRI scan is needed.\u00a0 CT scans\u00a0use x-rays and a computer to reconstruct images of the brain in \u2018slices\u2019.\u00a0 MRI scans by contrast create images of the brain based on the magnetic properties of water molecules and do not require x-rays.\u00a0 CT scanners are uncommon in the developing world because of the cost and complex technology required.\u00a0\u00a0 MRI machines, which are significantly more complicated and expensive then CT scanners, are virtually unavailable. We have access to both ultrasound and CT imaging at the hospital for all of our children because of the generous donation of equipment to our program\u00a0and the HBMPM.<\/p>\n How is hydrocephalus treated?<\/p>\n Reestablishing the balance between CSF production and absorption is the best way to treat hydrocephalus.\u00a0 Practically, this usually involves an operation to allow CSF to escape the brain where the fluid can be reabsorbed or by placing a tube to divert to fluid away from the brain.<\/p>\n From:http:\/\/wlittle.hubpages.com\/hub\/Lets-talk-about-Hydrocephalus<\/p><\/div>\n These diversion tubes, or shunts, are prone to blockage, or can become infected.\u00a0 Children with shunts frequently require additional operations for replacement, removal or repair of their shunt because of malfunction or infection.\u00a0 In spite of these drawbacks, shunts are sometimes the only option to treat a child\u2019s hydrocephalus.<\/p>\n The preferred approach to treat hydrocephalus avoids leaving a shunt tube in the child.\u00a0 This is accomplished by making a small opening in the base of the 3rd<\/sup> ventricle with the aide of a camera (called an endoscopic third ventriculostomy or ETV).<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.neurosurgery-blog.com\/archives\/tag\/endoscopic-third-ventriculostomy<\/p><\/div>\n When anatomically feasible, this operation allows CSF to exit the brain and be reabsorbed through the normal CSF path.\u00a0 Sometimes this is not possible because of scarring, either inside the ventricles or outside the brain in the CSF spaces.\u00a0 To improve the success of an ETV, CSF production can be reduced at it\u2019s source, by cauterizing the choroid plexus.<\/p>\n -Dr. John Ragheb MD<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is hydrocephalus? Hydrocephalus is a disorder of the brain that results in a build up of fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF) that eventually damages the brain.\u00a0 In young children, the head enlarges as the fluid chambers of the brain, … Continue reading <\/a>
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