Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus Causes
One of the causes of hydrocephalus is Bickers-Adams syndrome. This is an X-linked hydrocephalus responsible for 7% of cases in males. It is marked by stenosis of the aqueduct of Sylvius, severe mental retardation, and in 50% by an adduction-flexion deformity of the thumb.
Hydrocephalus Definition
Hydrocephalus is a term derived from the Greek words "hydro" meaning water, and "cephalus" meaning head, and this condition is sometimes known as "water in the brain". People with this condition have abnormal collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain.
Hydrocephalus Diagnosis
The doctor may diagnose congenital hydrocephalus in a peron's unborn child during a routine prenatal ultrasound, or the condition may be discovered during infancy or early childhood, when the head is regularly measured as part of growth monitoring. If the baby's head is visibly enlarged or its growth over time is more rapid than that of other infants, the doctor may recommend an ultrasound of the head. If the results of the ultrasound are abnormal, the infant will need further evaluation.
Hydrocephalus Symptoms and Signs
Symptoms of raised intracranial pressure may include headaches, vomiting, nausea, papilledema, sleepiness, or coma. Heightened intracranial pressure may result in uncal and/or cerebellar tonsill herniation, with resulting life threatening brain stem compression.
Hydrocephalus Treatment
Hydrocephalus treatment is surgical, which involves the placement of a ventricular catheter (a tube made of silastic), into the cerebral ventricles to bypass the flow obstruction/malfunctioning arachnoidal granulations and drain the excess fluid into other body cavities, from where it can be resorbed. Most shunts drain the fluid into the peritoneal cavity (ventriculo-peritoneal shunt), but other sites include the right atrium (ventriculo-atrial shunt), pleural cavity (ventriculo-pleural shunt), and gallbladder.