Among pathologies in newborns, hydrocephalus accounts for a considerable percentage. There are many species of this ailment, but the essence remains the same. It consists in the increased production and subsequent accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, i.e. cerebrospinal fluid in the child's head. The causes and symptoms of this disease are described in detail below.
What is hydrocephalus of the brain
Hydrocephalus is another term called dropsy, because the term itself is translated as "water in the brain".This disease characterizes the state of the body, when the special cavities called the ventricles are filled with an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid. It also penetrates the membranes of the brain. Intracranial pressure from this increases. The consequence is the squeezing of the brain, its poor blood supply. Because of these processes, the baby can not develop normally, and his nervous system matures more slowly.
Brain hydrocephalus in children has several classifications:
- External or internal. At the first, the cerebrospinal fluid accumulates under the cerebral membrane, and at the second - inside the ventricles of the brain.
- Closed or open. The first is called occlusive or non-communicating. It is characterized by blockade of the outflow of cerebral fluid to the site of absorption. The second is communicating. With it there is no blockade of cerebrospinal fluid, and there are abnormalities in its absorption.
- Normotensive, hypotensive and hypertensive. The classification is based on the degree of intracranial pressure.
- Congenital or acquired. More often the development of brain hydrocephalus in children is noted even in the womb, so the baby is born with a pathology.
- Acute or chronic. This classification depends on how the development of the dropsy of the brain: quickly or gradually.
- Alternative( compensated) or uncompensated. The first is practically not manifested by any symptoms, and the second is accompanied by pronounced disorders.
External
Another name for this disease is hydrocephalic syndrome. An external or external type of disease is characterized by the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid under the cerebral membranes. This type of disease is congenital, as it is the consequence of birth trauma. Treatment is carried out with the help of medications aimed at reducing the outflow of fluid and its stabilization. In the absence of positive dynamics, surgical intervention is prescribed.
Internal
There is an internal dropsy of the brain in children. This type is characterized by the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain. Internal hydrocephalus can appear with the subsequent development of the baby, but it can also be congenital. Treatment is used almost the same as with the external type of dropsy. First, they use medications, and in the absence of a good result, an operation is performed.
Mixed
Based on the name it is clear that in this form of hydrocephalus, liquid in the head of the child accumulates in the brain's ventricles and under its membrane. This form of dropsy, along with a moderate type, which for a long time may not manifest itself, is the most dangerous of all. The prognosis of the disease is more often unfavorable, because the violations are of an intensive nature. Cramps, epileptic seizures and paralysis of the extremities are manifested.
Why there is a dropsy of the brain in children
In general, the reasons for developing cerebral hydrocephalus in children are classified into congenital or acquired. To the first it is possible to carry:
- infringement of development of a brain of a fetus;
- transferred during pregnancy infection;
- cereal circulation failure;
- abuse of cigarettes, drugs or alcohol during pregnancy.
The severity of the disease depends on the time when the infection was transferred. At short terms, this leads to the termination of pregnancy, and at later times - to the disruption of the formation of blood vessels and tissues, which is why hydrocephalus develops. The risk factors for developing the acquired form of the disease include:
- Premature baby. When the fetal development has not yet ended, and the infant has already been born, the development of the cerebrospinal fluid begins to intensify.
- Injuries during childbirth or in the subsequent time. The resulting concussion also often causes increased production of cerebrospinal fluid.
- Tumors of the brain. They press on the surrounding tissues, reducing the ducts, because of which the current of the liquor is disrupted and it accumulates.
How hydrocephalus manifests itself in newborns
Symptoms of dropsy depend on the patient's age. In adults they are alone, and in children, others. It is also important that the hydrocephalic syndrome in a child before the year and two manifests itself differently than in children older than this age. In the infants, the signs of dropsy are:
- , head size increases very rapidly;
- the forehead becomes thin;
- fontanus strains, swells and protrudes;
- the kid often tilts his head back;
- strabismus;
- no attempts to crawl, sit, stand, talk;
- head incontinence;
- convulsions;
- crying for no reason and capriciousness.
How is hydrocephalus manifested in a child after two years of
? In older children, hydrocephalus manifests itself differently. If the child is from 2 years old, then an increase in the volume of the head is practically not observed. Schoolchildren do not have this feature at all. Instead, the disease manifests itself by other symptoms:
- sharp headaches, especially at night or in the morning;
- nausea and vomiting;
- problems with eyesight;
- convulsions;
- sleep disturbances;
- bleeding from the nose;
- reduction of intellectual abilities;
- severe fatigue;
- drowsiness;
- memory impairment;
- premature puberty;
- lagging or advancing in growth;
- obesity;
- lack of interest in mobile games;
- loss of coordination;
- urinary incontinence.
How is hydrocephalus diagnosed and treated in children
Newborns who have not yet matured to the end of the skull bone are sent to the ultrasound of the brain. Older children are prescribed magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. If hydrocephalus is acquired, then analyze the CSF by puncturing. Treatment of dropsy is divided into medicamental and operative. Surgical is more effective. It is carried out by 2 methods:
- Liquefied shunting. Excess cerebrospinal fluid is excreted into the natural environment of the body with a shunt located in the brain. In adults, this method allows to completely cure the disease, but children with time change this important detail, because their head is constantly increasing due to natural growth.
- Endoscopic operation. It is considered less dangerous. It represents the restoration of a normal liquor without the introduction of foreign bodies. For this reason, the risk of complications decreases. The peculiarity is that this way it is possible to treat only the external edema, because with the internal there is no access of the endoscope to the desired brain area.