What Is Hydrocephalus?
 
Hydrocephalus is a potentially harmful build up of cerebrospinal fluid in parts of the brain.

Hydrocephalus literally means water (hydro) in the head (cephalus). It is sometimes called water on the brain. The "water" is actually cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid is normally present in areas both inside and outside the brain.


Causes of hydrocephalus 

Children may be born with hydrocephalus from a number of congenital malformations.
Acquired hydrocephalus can develop for many reasons, including:
    - Bleeding inside a brain ventricle (intraventricular hemorrhage)
    - Head injury
    - Brain infection
    - Brain tumor


Symptoms of Hydrocephalus
- Head growth that is larger than normal and crosses growth lines on the growth charts
- Bulging "soft spot" (fontanelle)
- Sutures areas widen to make room for extra fluid.
- Appears to be looking down all the time (sunsetting eyes).
- Seizure
- Delayed development
- Poor eating
- High-pitched cry
- Sleepiness
- Irritability
 


Brain Imaging of Hydrocephalus 

  • A hydrocephalus MRI scan and a normal MRI scan  
When a child’s cerebrospinal fluid cannot flow or be reabsorbed properly, it builds up. This makes the ventricles bigger and puts pressure on the tissues of the brain.  

Hydrocephalus seen on a CT scan of the brain. 
Spontaneous intracerebral and intraventricular hemorrhage with hydrocephalus shown on CT scan



Management 

The most common surgery for hydrocephalus is putting in a shunt. Neurosurgeons place one end of the small tube in the ventricle where extra fluid is causing problems. A valve in the tube controls the amount of fluid that runs through it. This controls the pressure in your child’s head. It also makes sure that the fluid flows in only one direction, away from the brain.