Brief discussion on the popular science knowledge of infants and young children with hydrocephalus (2) Professor Ma Yunfu explained in detail

Hydrocephalus in infants and young children is a relatively serious disease, which directly affects the baby's intelligence and later social life. Professor Ma Yunfu, director of the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery of Hubei Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Hubei Provincial Maternity and Children's Hospital), will answer for you. He said that whether children are smart or not is determined by the dermis of the brain, and the more developed and perfect the dermis of the brain, the smarter it is. Let's take a look at Professor Ma Yunfu's answers to a few questions about hydrocephalus in children:

Question 1: Symptoms and manifestations of hydrocephalus in infants and young children

Professor Ma Yunfu replied: Hydrocephalus in infants and young children is caused by excessive production of cerebrospinal fluid or circulatory absorption, which causes cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in the ventricular system or subarachnoid space, and continues to grow, the pressure increases, and the ventricles enlarge, forming hydrocephalus. The clinical manifestations of hydrocephalus are mainly rapid and progressive enlargement of the skull within weeks or months after birth, while the skull is round, the frontal roof is protruding, the anterior fontanelle is enlarged and bulging, and the tension is high. The child is listless, unable to lift the head, and in severe cases, it may be accompanied by cerebral dysfunction, manifested as epilepsy, vomiting, convulsions, strabismus, nystagmus, speech disorder, limb paralysis, ataxia, difficulty walking, and mental retardation. Therefore, if you notice these symptoms, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Question 2: Do all children need treatment for hydrocephalus?

Professor Ma Yunfu replied: No, mild hydrocephalus can be treated with medication and rehabilitation, some patients with hydrocephalus have not been effectively treated in the early stage, and the brain function has been irreversibly restored in the late stage, and the intracranial pressure has reached a new equilibrium state (intracranial pressure is within the normal range), and the brain function cannot be restored even by surgery, and no shunt or fistula can be used to treat it. Therefore, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of children with hydrocephalus in children, and professional treatment of pediatric neurosurgery in regular hospitals, do not blindly believe in traditional Chinese medicine remedies to delay treatment, and do not give up treatment because some people say that hydrocephalus cannot be treated, After treatment, the neurological function of the child will gradually recover, and more than 90-95% of infants and young children with hydrocephalus can be cured according to our experience.

Question 3: Is a baby smart when he has a big head?

Professor Ma Yunfu replied: Not necessarily. Whether you are smart or not is determined by the dermis of the brain. The more developed and perfect the dermis of the brain, the smarter it is. And none of this has anything to do with the size of the brain. Cleverness is something to be cultivated, and people who use their brains more are very sharp. Under normal circumstances, it is good for infants and young children to have a slightly larger head, but abnormal big-headed babies may suffer from the following diseases, which cause the head circumference to be larger than that of normal babies: 1. Hydrocephalus refers to the increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid. It is manifested by protruding forehead, downward turning of the eyeball, exposure of the upper sclera, showing a "sunset sign", scalp veins exposed, often accompanied by mental retardation; 2. Intracranial space-occupying lesions, common intracranial tumors, hemangiomas, etc. In addition to the abnormal increase in head circumference, this type of baby has other symptoms... In recent years, we have admitted a lot of patients with a large head within 1 year old and a month, and parents think that although the baby has a big head, he is very smart, can eat and drink, and is alive, so he did not think about going to the baby for a physical examination.

Question 4: How to choose the best treatment for hydrocephalus in children?

Professor Ma Yunfu replied: After the discovery of hydrocephalus, we must first find out the type of hydrocephalus, MRI examination is the most important, if possible, it is best to do an MRI film imaging to understand the dynamic changes of cerebrospinal fluid flow, which can clearly distinguish obstructive hydrocephalus or communicating hydrocephalus, where is the location of the obstruction, these examinations can help doctors choose the best treatment plan. For obstructive hydrocephalus, the best treatment is to use neuroendoscopic ostomy, which is a good indication for surgery for obstructive hydrocephalus, and the third ventricular floor fistula only needs to drill a hole in the skull, place the endoscope into the lateral ventricle, enter the third ventricle through the interventricular foramen, and use endoscopic instruments and balloon catheters to open a fistula on the floor of the third ventricle, so that cerebrospinal fluid can flow from the ventricle through the fistula into the subarachnoid space, thereby relieving hydrocephalus. This approach is a radical approach that can effectively avoid the complications associated with shunt surgery, and if successful, the patient will benefit for life.

For children with communicating hydrocephalus or transventricular internal drainage, ventriculoperitoneal shunt can only be used to relieve hydrocephalus. Sometimes by the time a child presents with hydrocephalus, the brain is so thin that the parenchyma of the brain is very thin. At this time, the risk of doing ordinary shunt surgery is quite large, and it is easy to cause intracranial hemorrhage and disability, or even death. Therefore, surgery with an adjustable pressure shunt system is required to avoid postoperative complications.

Treatment of severe hydrocephalus

Introduction of Professor Ma Yunfu, the subject leader

Ma Yunfu is a professor, chief physician, master's supervisor, and director of neurosurgery at Hubei Provincial Maternity and Child Health Hospital (Hubei Provincial Maternity and Children's Hospital). Yuan (Director of the Department of Neurosurgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Director of Henan Pediatric Neurosurgery Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Henan Provincial Center for Infant Hydrocephalus Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center)

Main social part-time positions: member of the Peripheral Nerve Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, member of the National Pediatric Neurosurgery Committee of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, member of the National Pediatric Neurosurgery Committee of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, vice chairman of the Minimally Invasive Neurological Professional Committee of the Chinese Maternal and Child Health Association, chairman of the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Professional Committee of the Henan Preventive Medicine Association, chairman of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Professional Committee of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Henan Medical Association, vice president of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Henan Medical Doctor Association, He is the vice chairman of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of Henan Medical Association, the vice chairman of the Pediatric Neural Structure Malformation of Henan Maternal and Child Health Association, and the vice chairman of the Neuromalformation Prevention and Treatment Professional Committee of Henan Preventive Medicine Association

Among them, Professor Ma Yunfu's treatment of pediatric spina bifida and spinal cord tether under evoked potential electrical stimulation and microscope is in a leading position in China, with more than 6,000 surgeries, the largest number of surgeries in China, and the most accurate curative effect, which has been reported on TV and newspapers for many times. Each patient was videotaped of the operation.

In China, a comprehensive approach is used to treat various infantile hydrocephalus diseases, and the technology is at the leading level in the country, and he has participated in the compilation of the latest edition of books on pediatric hydrocephalus, especially in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infantile hydrocephalus, with more than 250 cases of infant hydrocephalus surgeries.

The surgical treatment of craniosynostosis and stenostosis is in a leading position in our province, with an annual operation volume of about 150 units, and different methods are adopted to treat stenosis according to different types of craniosynostosis types, which has brought good news to many children with cranial malformation, stenosis and craniosynostosis.

The treatment of infantile brain tumors, infantile cerebral hemorrhage, infantile brain trauma, pediatric cerebral hemorrhage, spastic cerebral palsy, infantile congenital nerve malformations and other surgeries under microscope and ventriculoscopy are in a leading position in our province.