Causes, symptoms, treatment of hydrocephalus of the brain

Brain hydrocephalus is a violation of the circulation of fluid in the brain, which leads to excessive accumulation of the fluid. Increases intracranial pressure, respectively - there is excessive pressure on the brain, and this leads to many severe consequences.

As a rule, three types of hydrocephalus are distinguished in the place of fluid accumulation:

1. ventricular fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain, deep inside the brain,
2. external - accumulation occurs in the subarachnoid space, close to the cranium,
3. general - the cerebrospinal fluid accumulates throughout the brain.

If fluid in the clusters is freely reported, it is an open hydrocephalus. If the circulation pathways of the cerebrospinal fluid are disturbed, hydrocephalus is considered to be closed.

Causes of cerebral hydrocephalus

In children, this disease can be both congenital and acquired. Brain hydrocephalus in adults usually develops after the infection, cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, brain tumors. Very often hydrocephalus arises in old age and leads to premature senile dementia. If the disease is diagnosed in time, the consequences can be greatly mitigated.

The immediate causes of hydrocephalus in adults can be diverse:

1. fluid circulation disorder,
2. suction impairment,
3. increased cerebrospinal fluid production,
4. decrease in brain substance density due to its impregnation with cerebrospinal fluid,
5. narrowing of subarachnoid spaces.

As a separate species, the vacuolar hydrocephalus is distinguished, in this case the brain hydrocephalus causes cerebral trauma and, as a rule, the body restores the normal circulation of the fluid itself. In all other cases, serious treatment is necessary.

Symptoms of the disease

Brain hydrocephalus begins to appear when pressure on the brain leads to damage to certain body functions. The disease is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, abnormally long duration of sleep, general poor body condition, headache or migraine headaches. Symptoms of chronic hydrocephalus are impaired gait, problems with speech and urination occur, signs of dementia and dementia that appeared earlier than usual.

The first symptoms appear about 3 weeks after the disease, which causes hydrocephalus, sometimes masking the syndromes of hydrocephalus for quite some time. With the disappearance of the underlying disease, hydrocephalus does not pass, but most often continues to develop, since in serious disturbances of the circulation of the fluid, these mechanisms alone are not restored.

Sometimes, symptoms may not be present for a long time, with moderate hydrocephalus in adults not manifested in any way, but suddenly there are severe headaches, weakness and other signs.

An accurate diagnosis of hydrocephalus can be made only after the MRI, the picture will clearly show the fluid-filled areas. Sometimes MRI is supplemented by examination of the fundus, lumbar puncture. After the picture of the disease becomes clear, doctors will be able to prescribe the treatment before surgery and schedule a surgical intervention.

Consequences of late onset of

treatment The consequences of brain hydrocephalus are dangerous because they are usually irreversible when starting treatment is late. Constant pressure leads to serious damage to the functions of the brain, the deformation of the cranium and, in the end, to the danger to life. Hydrocephalus in adults often causes premature development of dementia.

Methods of treatment of

disease Unfortunately, there are no effective medicinal methods for treating hydrocephalus disease, therapy can only slow down the development of the disease. But in some cases, with not severe forms of the disease, over time, the circulation of the fluid is restored by itself. Drug therapy is prescribed in the first stage, in order to reduce intracranial pressure, to track how the patient's condition changes, and to prevent the development of complications.

If necessary, punctures are made, fluid is removed from places of excessive accumulation. If the brain does not restore the mechanisms of fluid withdrawal, an operation is prescribed: traditional shunting or endoscopic surgery. There are several options for removing fluid: the abdominal cavity, the right atrium or the ureter. In any variant of the surgical intervention, a new fluid circulation system is created in place of the non-functioning fluid.

Although if brain hydrocephalus is caused by a tumor that interferes with the normal circulation of the fluid, the obstruction is removed, after which the fluid circulation comes to normal.

The installation of shunts during surgical intervention is effective in 85% of cases, during surgery, excess fluid is removed from the brain, a shunt is installed, through which it will be removed from the accumulation sites to where the fluid is absorbed and distributed normally. After the rehabilitation period, patients return to normal life: the pressure on the brain disappears, the damaged functions are restored. This treatment refers to the conservative, it has been used since the 50s.

But after the operation on brain shunting with hydrocephalus in 40-60% of cases with time problems arise such as mechanical breakage of the shunt, the appearance of inflammation, the penetration of the infection, after which the shunt has to be changed, and this is a new surgical intervention.

Currently, the operation is often performed endoscopically, through small incisions, reducing the risk of complications and reducing the recovery period. The most commonly used endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy of the bottom of the third ventricle. During this operation, the normal circulation system of the cerebrospinal fluid is restored, the surgeon makes sure that the liquid through specially enters the brain cisterns, where it can be absorbed. If the operation is successful, the shunt is not needed, the patient returns to normal.

Brain hydrocephalus is a disease whose development can pose an immediate danger to life and in any case leads to a significant deterioration in its quality. The disease leads to irreversible changes in the brain: this is what is dangerous hydrocephalus. But with timely diagnosis, a fairly rapid return to normal life is possible, so do not ignore the early symptoms of hydrocephalus, especially if you have suffered one of the diseases that often provokes its development.