How to prevent hydrocephalus?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 03, 2024
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To prevent hydrocephalus, it is first recommended to cultivate good living habits, such as a diet low in salt and fat, and light in nature. Avoid eating overly greasy, spicy, and irritating foods. Additionally, engage in aerobic exercise daily, keeping it under 30 minutes, which can effectively prevent the occurrence of hydrocephalus. For patients with severe cranial trauma or serious central nervous system infections, toxic encephalopathy, etc., if the patient's condition is stable, a timely follow-up head CT scan should be conducted to dynamically observe changes in the patient’s condition. Furthermore, if some patients do not have clear contraindications for surgery, considering a lumbar puncture might be an option to maintain the fluid flow in the brain and prevent hydrocephalus.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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How to deal with hydrocephalus?

The treatment of hydrocephalus must clearly identify the severity of the condition. Hydrocephalus can be categorized into acute and chronic types. In cases of acute hydrocephalus, emergency ventricular puncture drainage surgery is required, otherwise, it may cause brain herniation leading to death. For chronic hydrocephalus, it is crucial to distinguish whether it is communicating hydrocephalus or obstructive hydrocephalus. For obstructive hydrocephalus, treatment options include creating a patency in the cerebral aqueduct and third ventriculostomy. For other types of hydrocephalus, ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery can be performed. Therefore, it is essential to clearly determine the type of hydrocephalus to fundamentally select the appropriate surgical methods and instruments.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Is hydrocephalus serious?

Hydrocephalus is relatively serious. When hydrocephalus occurs, it gradually affects the patient's motor functions of the limbs, causing weakness in one or both sides, difficulty in lifting, walking impairments, difficulty performing fine motor actions, and ataxia. It may even lead to frequent falls. Additionally, there are significant cognitive impairments, characterized by reduced intelligence levels, decreased computational abilities, and even certain degrees of language dysfunctions. Patients may also exhibit significant personality changes, such as feelings of anxiety, depression, apathetic expressions, and a dislike for communication and interaction with others.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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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.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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Hydrocephalus Clinical Manifestations

In adults, hydrocephalus can be of the normal pressure type, mainly characterized by unsteady gait, slow responses, urinary and fecal incontinence, among others. There is also high-pressure hydrocephalus, which mainly presents as increased intracranial pressure, with the most common symptoms being headache, vomiting, papilledema, and ataxia. In children and infants, hydrocephalus has its own characteristics. In addition to some of the adult symptoms, there are also anomalies such as an abnormally increased head size, bulging fontanelles, "sunset" eye sign, intellectual and cognitive impairments, decreased vision, visual field defects, decreased hearing, epilepsy seizures, and more.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Can hydrocephalus be treated?

Hydrocephalus can be effectively treated. Patients with hydrocephalus should first visit their local hospital for a cranial CT scan, and consider undergoing an MRI if necessary, to determine the primary causes and severity of the hydrocephalus and decide on the next treatment steps. For patients with underlying diseases, proactive treatment should be targeted at the cause, and effective surgical removal should be considered for intracranial space-occupying lesions. Patients with resistant hydrocephalus are advised to undergo regular check-ups and follow-ups, and for those with progressive obstructive hydrocephalus where the ventricular system is gradually expanding, surgical treatment is recommended.