Many parents may have such a question: How to treat children with hydrocephalus? How is this "water" discharged? In fact, the "water" in hydrocephalus refers to cerebrospinal fluid, which is a transparent, clear liquid, but it is not really "water"
How can there be "standing water" in the head?
Cerebrospinal fluid is in a process of continuous secretion, flow and absorption in the brain, and is normally maintained in a delicate balance. If this "water" is produced too much, flow or absorption disorders occur, this equilibrium state will be disrupted, and a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull will accumulate, which will cause hydrocephalus. Some hydrocephalus is congenital, and some are secondary to intracranial hemorrhage, infection, head trauma, intracranial mass, etc.
What should I do if my baby has hydrocephalus?
Once your baby is diagnosed with hydrocephalus, he or she should be actively treated according to the doctor's recommendations.
If there is no formal treatment when treatment is needed, it will bring greater harm to the child. The disease can cause the body to be stunted or impaired in its bodily functions; Hydrocephalus can cause movement disturbances in children, such as walking instability and difficulty walking; It can also lead to intellectual disorders in children, such as memory loss, moodiness, etc., and in severe cases, dementia will occur.
How is hydrocephalus "drained"?
For early or mild hydrocephalus, non-surgical treatment may be an option, and surgery may be considered in those with poor non-surgical treatment.
Surgical method:
(1) Surgery to relieve obstruction (etiological treatment): Etiological treatment should become the preferred method for the treatment of hydrocephalus. For obstructive hydrocephalus, disarming is the most ideal method. Such as interventricular foramen perforation, catheter reconstruction, fourth ventricular cyst ostomy, intraventricular tumor resection, third ventricular floor ostomy, occipital foramen decompression and so on.
(2) Reduce cerebrospinal fluid formation: such as lateral ventricular choroidectomy or electrocautery.
(3) Cerebral fluid shunting: the most commonly done is lateral ventricular intraperitoneal shunting.
Judging from the above treatment methods, the "drainage" of hydrocephalus is not simply to expel the "water" from the body, but by finding the cause, unclogging the "blockage", reducing the source of "water", or diverting excess "water" to the abdominal cavity and so on.
Parents should be reminded that if they find hydrocephalus, they should take their children to a regular children's hospital in time to find a professional doctor for diagnosis and treatment, and do not listen to false propaganda and delay the child's condition.
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