Subscribe
Hydrocephalus
Can hydrocephalus heal itself?
Hydrocephalus often does not heal on its own and is generally classified into different types, such as symptomatic hydrocephalus and asymptomatic hydrocephalus, obstructive hydrocephalus and non-obstructive hydrocephalus, communicating hydrocephalus, and non-communicating hydrocephalus, among others. Relatively speaking, patients with obstructive symptomatic hydrocephalus usually exhibit a progressively worsening condition. Without timely and effective treatment, patients may experience significant headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, accompanied by motor dysfunction, difficulty walking, urinary and fecal incontinence, and other clinical manifestations. For these patients, early surgical intervention is advisable, as they often cannot heal on their own, and their condition will progressively worsen.
Symptoms of hydrocephalus
For patients with hydrocephalus, it often leads to a series of symptoms and signs. For example, patients may experience mild cognitive impairments, manifesting as obvious memory loss, reduced intelligence, and weakened orientation ability in terms of time, space, and person recognition. In addition, most patients also suffer from motor dysfunction, showing symptoms like weakness in one or both legs, difficulty walking, unstable gait, and a tendency to fall. Some patients might even experience changes in emotion and personality. As the condition of cerebral hemorrhage gradually progresses, patients may exhibit symptoms of increased intracranial pressure.
Symptoms of hydrocephalus in children
For pediatric hydrocephalus, a range of specific symptoms and signs will appear. For instance, children may repeatedly complain of headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, accompanied by a strong sense of vertigo. Through physical examination, it can be found that the head circumference of the child is significantly larger than that of normal children, with the anterior fontanelle full and bulging. Special physical examinations may reveal the presence of a sunset sign or a cracked pot sound. In addition, some children may exhibit certain levels of cognitive dysfunction, lower intellectual development, significantly lagging behind peers, and they might also show instability in walking, swaying back and forth, prone to falling, or even experience urinary and fecal incontinence.
Is hydrocephalus serious?
Hydrocephalus is a relatively severe neurological disorder, generally caused by disturbances in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation, leading to obstructive hydrocephalus due to blocked circulation pathways. Other causes include overproduction of CSF or reduced absorption, which can also lead to hydrocephalus. If the volume of hydrocephalus is not large, the clinical symptoms are generally not obvious, and the patient may only experience dizziness, slow response, cognitive impairment, and unstable walking. If the hydrocephalus is significant, it often causes severe compression of brain tissue, which can lead to consciousness disturbances, progressive dementia, epileptic seizures, and incontinence. Timely surgical intervention is necessary to relieve the pressure caused by the edema.
How is hydrocephalus treated?
If hydrocephalus is suspected, it is advised to first visit a local hospital for an emergency cranial CT scan to determine the type and severity of the hydrocephalus. This helps identify the main causes of the condition and whether it is communicating or non-communicating hydrocephalus. Treatment plans should then be based on the patient's symptoms and physical signs. For those with obvious clinical symptoms of obstructive hydrocephalus, surgery is often recommended. Clinically, a ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery is generally chosen. Through surgical intervention, original symptoms can gradually alleviate or even disappear, and the morphology of the ventricular system can progressively return to normal.
What is hydrocephalus shunt?
Patients with hydrocephalus usually require shunt surgery, among which the most common is the ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The shunt tube used in this surgery typically features a reservoir, often referred to by patients as a "water basket". Patients are frequently required to press this reservoir to promote the excess cerebral spinal fluid to flow through the shunt tube into the abdominal cavity, where it is absorbed by the omentum. If the reservoir is not pressed, the shunt tube may become blocked, potentially requiring the surgery to be performed again.
Is hydrocephalus easy to treat?
Hydrocephalus is relatively easy to treat. Before treatment, it is advised to first perform a cranial CT scan or MRI on the patient to determine the type and severity of the hydrocephalus, and based on whether the patient currently shows significant clinical symptoms, decide if surgical treatment is necessary. Additionally, a cranial CT or MRI can help identify the cause of the hydrocephalus, such as whether there is an intracranial space-occupying lesion or if the cerebral fluid circulation pathway is obstructed for other reasons, leading to hydrocephalus. If treatment is deemed necessary, it is generally recommended to opt for ventriculo-peritoneal shunt surgery for the patient. Most patients can achieve good results after the surgical treatment.
Causes of Hydrocephalus
Under normal conditions, the secretion, circulation, and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) maintain a dynamic balance. In some pathological states, this balance is disrupted, leading to an excessive accumulation of CSF within the ventricular system, a condition known as hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus can be classified into obstructive hydrocephalus and communicating hydrocephalus. The causes of obstructive hydrocephalus mainly include obstructions in the ventricular system, such as congenital malformations or abnormal development of the cerebral aqueduct, which are the most common causes of hydrocephalus in infants. In adults, tumors, bleeding, blockages, or compression of the ventricular system are also common causes of hydrocephalus. Communicating hydrocephalus results primarily from acquired diseases, such as cranial infections or blockages of arachnoid granulations by subarachnoid hemorrhage, leading to impairments in CSF absorption.
Causes of hydrocephalus in infants
The occurrence of hydrocephalus in infants involves congenital factors, including poor brain development caused by exposure to medications, radiation, rays, and viral or bacterial infections during the embryonic stage, leading to hydrocephalus. Infant hydrocephalus also includes some acquired factors, such as birth injuries occurring during delivery, and post-birth conditions like inflammation in the brain, tumors, or arachnoid cysts. These conditions can lead to excessive production of cerebrospinal fluid, impaired circulation, or insufficient absorption, resulting in hydrocephalus.
How to relieve headache caused by hydrocephalus?
Hydrocephalus causing headaches is generally related to high pressure in the brain. Hydrocephalus leads to an enlargement of the ventricular system, compressing the surrounding brain tissue. Since the volume of the skull is fixed, increased accumulation of fluid can cause a rapid rise in internal pressure, leading to headaches. In severe cases, it may cause nausea, vomiting, and disturbances in consciousness, making the patient drowsy, stuporous, or even comatose. In such cases, the main treatment is to reduce the pressure inside the brain. Dehydrating agents, such as mannitol, can be used; however, mannitol mainly removes water from inside the cells and is more effective for cerebral edema than for hydrocephalus. Furosemide can be used to reduce the secretion of cerebrospinal fluid and may have some effect on hydrocephalus. However, the key treatment is likely to be surgical, such as lateral ventricular drainage, which can fundamentally resolve the problem of fluid accumulation but can also lead to complications like infections.