‘Hydro’ meaning water, and ‘Cephalus’ meaning head
About
Causes of Hydrocephalus
- Obstruction to normal flow of CSF in brain and spine
- Reduction of Absorption of CSF
- Excess production rate which exceeds the absorption rate.
- Congenital : malformations present at birth
- Infections : bacterial, viral or fungal infections, Tubercular being most common in India
- Tumors
- Intracranial Bleed
- Post traumatic
- Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus in elderly
Symptoms of Hydrocephalus
Infants
Gradually enlarging head size, Drowsiness, Lethargy, Poor feeding, downward deviation of both the eyes.
Toddlers
Progressive abnormal enlargement of child’s head, headache and associated nausea or vomiting, fever in case of infectious cause, blurred or double vision, unstable balance, excessive irritability, delayed milestones.
Elderly
Imbalance and shuffling gait, memory loss; headache, or bladder control problems.
Examination of the patient physically and neurologically
CT scan of the head
Usually treated with treatment of the underlying pathology and if that is not possible, then CSF diversion procedure becomes necessary.
Types of CSF diversion procedures
- Ventriculo Peritoneal/Pleural/Atrial Shunt
- Endoscopic procedures