Is hydrocephalus serious?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 05, 2024
00:00
00:00

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.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
52sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
1min 8sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
53sec home-news-image

How should hydrocephalus be treated?

Treatment of hydrocephalus must be specific to the patient's condition, as different cases of hydrocephalus require different treatment approaches. For some mild cases of hydrocephalus without obvious clinical symptoms, the focus is on observation or the use of internal medicine to improve cerebral circulation and neuroprotective medications. However, if symptoms emerge later and significantly affect daily life, shunt surgery from the cerebral ventricles to the abdominal cavity is performed for chronic hydrocephalus, aiming to alleviate the patient's suffering. In cases of acute hydrocephalus caused by cerebral hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage, treatment might involve the use of neuroendoscopy to create a ventriculostomy at the floor of the third ventricle or external ventricular drainage. Thus, treatment is determined based on the specific circumstances.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
59sec home-news-image

Can fetal hydrocephalus be kept?

Whether fetal hydrocephalus should result in termination must be determined based on a specific analysis of the particular medical condition at that time. Fetal hydrocephalus is merely a manifestation of an illness. It is essential to understand the root cause of the hydrocephalus to make a clear decision regarding the options available. If the hydrocephalus is combined with cranial malformations or abnormalities in the cerebral gyri and sulci or other congenital development defects, in general, such conditions are not survivable even into adulthood. There is no possibility of survival, and even if surgery is performed later, it cannot provide an effective treatment. However, in cases where conditions such as spina bifida occur, with active surgical intervention, these can have a very positive prognosis. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly identify the specific medical condition at the time to determine the most appropriate course of action.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
45sec home-news-image

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.