Is hydrocephalus serious?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 05, 2024
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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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Hydrocephalus should be treated in the neurology department.

If you have hydrocephalus, it is recommended to visit the neurosurgery department at your local hospital and ask a neurosurgeon to assess your current condition. It is generally advised that patients undergo a cranial CT scan or MRI to determine the extent and severity of the hydrocephalus and to choose the appropriate treatment method. For static hydrocephalus, most patients do not exhibit clear clinical symptoms and generally do not require special treatment, regular monitoring is sufficient. For progressive hydrocephalus, surgical treatment is often necessary, and it is generally recommended that patients undergo ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery. With surgical treatment, most patients can achieve satisfactory results.

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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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Does hydrocephalus affect intelligence?

Mild hydrocephalus generally does not significantly affect intellectual levels, while moderate or severe hydrocephalus often impacts a patient’s intelligence. In children, it can cause severe impairment in intellectual development. For adults, it results in noticeable intellectual deficiencies, primarily characterized by significant cognitive dysfunction, reduced memory, diminished calculating abilities, and weakened verbal communication skills. Additionally, individuals may appear indifferent, speak less, are reluctant to interact with others, and have difficulty expressing themselves. Furthermore, most patients experience reduced orientation abilities concerning time, people, and space, which are predominantly caused by hydrocephalus.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How is hydrocephalus treated?

Hydrocephalus is caused by the continuous increase of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricular system of the brain. There are two types of hydrocephalus: obstructive hydrocephalus and communicating hydrocephalus, each with different treatment methods. Obstructive hydrocephalus is caused by obstructions such as tumors or blood clots, so removing tumors or clearing blood clots can relieve the obstruction and treat the hydrocephalus. On the other hand, communicating hydrocephalus usually has no obstruction; it is primarily caused by excessive production or insufficient absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. A common treatment is ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery, which diverts cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles to the abdominal cavity to treat hydrocephalus.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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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.