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Hydrocephalus
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Hydrocephalus is the name for any increase in the volume of fluid surrounding or inside the brain. Excessive pressure caused by excess fluid can cause long-term neurological damage, so prompt treatment, which usually involves diverting excess fluid to another body cavity, is imperative. Physicians at Children's Hospital Boston have been leaders and innovators in the treatment of hydrocephalus for decades. Building on work begun at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital nearby, doctors at Children's Hospital were the first to treat hydrocephalus in children by shunting excess fluid to the ureter in the 1950's.
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Hydrocephalus is a condition in which too much fluid builds up and puts pressure on the brain. In Latin, hydro means "water" and "cephalus" means head. People commonly refer to hydrocephalus as "water on the brain." The water is actually cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Hydrocephalus occurs most often in newborns.
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Hydrocephalus can occur either as a condition present at birth (congenital), or it can be acquired later in life. When hydrocephalus is not related to a known genetic cause, it is thought that many factors, both genetic and environmental, contribute to the condition. In a small percentage of babies, a single gene defect on the X chromosome, or another chromosome, is responsible for the condition. In these cases, the chance for recurrence is higher. Once a child has been born with hydrocephalus that is not known to be caused by a single gene defect, the chance for it to happen again in another child is 1 to 5 percent.
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Hydrocephalus comes from the Greek: hydro means water, cephalus head. Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of fluid - cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF - within cavities called ventricles inside the brain. CSF is produced in the ventricles, circulates through the ventricular system and is absorbed into the bloodstream. CSF is in constant circulation and has many important functions. It surrounds the brain and spinal cord and acts as a protective cushion against injury. CSF contains nutrients and proteins that are needed for the nourishment and normal function of the brain.
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Hydrocephalus is most often treated with the surgical placement of a shunt system. This system diverts the flow of CSF from a site within the central nervous system to another area of the body where it can be absorbed as part of the circulatory process. A shunt is a flexible but study silastic tube. A limited number of patients can be treated with an alternative procedure called third ventriculostomy. In this procedure, a small hole is made in the floor of the third ventricle, allowing the CSF to bypass the obstruction and flow toward the site of resorption around the surface of the brain.
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Hydrocephalus is derived from the Greek words hydro, meaning water, and cephalus, meaning head. As the name implies, hydrocephalus is a condition which exists when there is excess fluid in the head. This is not to say that only people with hydrocephalus have water in their head. Everyone has a certain amount of fluid, called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), located within four ventricles or spaces that are present in the brain.
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Hydrocephalus