Parents who have been diagnosed with “hydrocephalus” in Dilbandi are well aware of the pain of this condition.
Today, an increase in cerebrospinal fluid, i.e., hydrocephalus, is also observed in newborns and children over one year of age. So what is the reason for this? In general, what do we know about hydrocephalus and what information should we be aware of?
What is hydrocephalus?
Fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) is produced in each person’s brain and reabsorbed into brain tissue. As a result of disruption of this process, there is an increase in intracranial pressure or accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain and flows between the meninges. If this process deviates from the normal order, cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain, but does not move. This means hydrocephalus.
Causes of hydrocephalus
Several types and manifestations of hydrocephalus differ. In infants, 80 percent of the disease may be due to maternal infectious diseases during fetal development, unhealthy lifestyle and external factors during fetal development, while 20 percent may be due to complications of the birth process.
In children aged one to two years and older, cerebral vascular malformations, infectious diseases, meningitis, closed brain injuries, as well as genetic predisposition are classified. In older children, hydrocephalus can also occur as a complication of concomitant diseases, such as chronic colds or viral illnesses. However, tumors that form in the brain cause an increase in intracranial pressure, leading to hypertension-hydrocephalus syndrome.
Signs
Usually, the symptoms that occur before and after the age of two are differentiated when assessing the disease. Head structure is one of the main characteristics in infants. If symptoms of hydrocephalus are present, the skull is displaced due to an increase in the size of the skull. As a result, there is a change in the structure of the head, and the forehead bulges forward.
Swelling of the scalp and the fact that it does not go away until the age of one and a half years, the child often throws his head back, and discomfort for no reason is also a sign of the disease. In children over one or two years of age, headaches, impaired vision, symptoms such as sleep disturbances, lethargy, weakness, sometimes urinary incontinence, memory loss, inability to concentrate.
Diagnosis
A number of examinations are performed before a child is diagnosed with the disease. First, the size of the child's head circumference is checked.
External signs of the disease are the fact that the head circumference is larger than normal, the head is larger than the face, blood vessels are clearly visible in the forehead, whiteness is visible in the upper part of the eyeball (symptom of sunset). If the child's head has not yet hardened, a brain UTT - neurosonography is performed. Ultrasound and radiography are used for older children. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can also be performed if necessary. Based on the results, the doctor will recommend the type of treatment you need for your child.
Treatment of hydrocephalus
If the child is diagnosed with hydrocephalus, it is necessary to see a neurosurgeon. In this case, the method of treatment is selected according to the type and degree of the disease. When medication is prescribed, fluid that has accumulated in the brain is excreted using diuretics. It is recommended to use prophylactic measures with tinctures that improve the child's immunity and diuretic for a certain period of time to prevent recurrence of symptoms.
The main thing is to make sure that the child does not fall down and get injured after the treatment. In some cases, even healthy children have larger dizziness. This situation is explained by the fact that one of the parents has a large head structure. But the disease is not considered.
Why do you need surgery?
Surgery is used to stop the development of the disease in congenital hydrocephalus and severe forms of the disease. Of course, for such an operation, in-depth medical examinations should be carried out and the general condition of the baby should be satisfactory. This practice is now widely used, in which excess fluid accumulated in the brain is discharged into the abdominal cavity using a special device tube (shunt). This raises the question of whether the child's head structure will return to its original state after surgery. If the disease is diagnosed in time and the necessary treatments are applied, dizziness can return to normal.
When the disease is transferred and the skull is enlarged, the development of the disease is stopped by practice, but the structure of the head does not change. Most importantly, this method gives the child a healthy lifestyle and allows him to reach his peers in physical and mental development.
