Brain hydrocephaly

General characteristic of a disease

Hydrocephaly of a brain or edema is the neurologic disease caused by accumulation of liquid in ventricular system and subarachnoidal departments of a brain. Hydrocephaly of a brain develops owing to excess production or bad outflow of cerebrospinal fluid (liquor).

To disturbances of circulation of liquor give injuries, infectious and parasitic diseases, tumors or commissures in a brain. And as a result cerebrospinal fluid collects, increases the volume of ventricles of a brain and leads to total magnification of the sizes of a skull, thinning of walls and a rupture of ventricles, and also to problems with sight, paralyzes, epileptic attacks and other complications of hydrocephaly of a brain.

Inborn hydrocephaly of a brain

Brain hydrocephaly at children more often happens inborn. In this case the most terrible complications of the disease which developed during the pre-natal period are observed.

Inborn hydrocephaly of a brain at children is followed by increase in the sizes of the head up to 50% of standard volume. As the frequent reasons of inborn hydrocephaly of a brain at children pathologies of fetation and anomaly of a structure of a brain, the meningitis postponed vnutriutrobno, hemorrhage, etc. act.

Symptoms of inborn hydrocephaly of a brain at children are:

• the capriciousness caused by the increased intracranial pressure;
• small appetite,
• block,
• skin mramornost,
• retraktsiiya of a century (excessive disclosure of an eye),
• preferential direction of a look down.

The acquired hypertensive hydrocephaly of a brain

The tumor, cyst, inflammation or pathological bone changes in a back cranial pole lead to a disease. Hypertensive hydrocephaly of a brain at adults is shown by bilateral frontal and occipital pain, nausea and vomiting, caused by accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid and increase in intracranial pressure. At the same time develop:

• swelled a disk of optic nerves,
• slowness of movements,
• easing of intelligence,
• disturbance of reflexes.

The acquired normotensive hydrocephaly of a brain

At this type of a disease rather normal indicators of intracranial pressure are observed. Provocative factors of normotensive hydrocephaly of a brain are complications after meningitis, subarachnoidal hemorrhage, an injury or aneurism.

Accumulation of liquid in the head leads to pressure upon white matter of a brain, and result develop:

• gait disturbances,
• headache
• weak-mindedness,
• urine incontience.

Not reported and reported types of hydrocephaly of a brain

Not reported or closed brain hydrocephaly at adults or children develops when liquid from ventricles of a brain cannot get to a subarachnoid space. If there is no obstacle in a way of circulation of liquor, the disease is called the reported or open hydrocephaly of a brain. At children both types of a disease are caused by the inborn organic reasons, at adults – the acquired tumors and intracranial cysts.

General, internal and outside hydrocephaly of a brain

Depending on localization of cerebrospinal fluid it is accepted to allocate internal (ventricular), general and outside hydrocephaly of a brain at adults and children.

At an internal form of a disease liquor preferential accumulates in brain ventricles. Outside hydrocephaly is characterized by accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in a subarachnoid space. And the general or mixed form hydrocephaly of a brain develops at localization of liquor in all cavities of a brain.

Diagnosis of hydrocephaly of a brain

In diagnosis of a disease the computer and magnetic and resonant tomography, an eyeground research, and also a lumbar puncture are used. Diagnosis of hydrocephaly of a brain at children up to 3 years is complicated by need of use of the general anesthesia.

Alternative of KT and MPT in diagnosis of hydrocephaly of a brain at children up to 1,5 years is the neyrosonografiya. Visualization of ventricles and a subarachnoid space by means of NSG is possible only before closing of a big fontanel.

Treatment of hydrocephaly of a brain

Treatment of hydrocephaly of a brain preferential surgical. By means of medicamentous methods it is possible to reach only delay of a course of a disease or to lower intracranial pressure at a gidrotsefalny syndrome. The last is characterized by indirect signs of accumulation of liquor against the background of the increased intracranial pressure and the increased head volumes.

Surgical treatment of hydrocephaly of a brain successfully more than in 85% of cases. By means of the shunting operation perhaps full removal of excess liquor at brain hydrocephaly at adults. The patient recovers completely and restored to normal life. However after a while full or partial replacement of the shunt can be required by him. At brain hydrocephaly at children in connection with growth of the head audit of the shunt is carried out 2-3 times.

Besides, at an inborn form of a disease treatment of hydrocephaly of a brain at children longer is also directed to the maximum correction of inborn complications of a disease.

The priority direction in development of techniques of treatment of hydrocephaly of a brain are low-invasive endoscopic operations. By means of them installation of the shunting system, removal of the cyst blocking outflow of liquor or a tumor is also possible.

In endoscopic treatment of hydrocephaly of a brain the endoscopic ventrikulotsisternostomiya, a septostomiya and an akveduktoplastika are most often applied. They have the minimum percent of post-operational complications and more bystry period of rehabilitation.