Moderately expressed external hydrocephalus and its manifestations

Moderate external hydrocephalus may be a separate disease or symptom of other diseases. These include brain trauma, strokes, tumors, and some infectious diseases. In most patients, hydrocephalus arises against the backdrop of musculoskeletal disorders( especially in the neck sections), hypertension, and atherosclerosis.

Hydrocephalus of any genesis develops because of excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebrospinal fluid, mainly in the ventricles of the brain. This, in turn, causes an increase in intracranial pressure, compression of the brain substance and a decrease in the space between the arachnoid and soft shells of the brain. With the external form of hydrocephalus, the cerebrospinal fluid can not be absorbed into the venous system. This species can also be attributed to atrophic disease of the brain, since the total mass of the brain tissue becomes smaller.

Hydrocephalus proceeds in two stages: acute and chronic. At the first stage, the symptoms of the disease, which caused the disease, appear. In a chronic stage, the symptoms of hydrocephalus proper are found.

Types of moderate external cerebral hydrocephalus

This disease can develop due to adverse environmental factors in the prenatal period. In this case, the child is affected by various parts of the nervous system, there may be defects that affect the properties and dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid. In this case, moderate external hydrocephalus is congenital.

It often develops in premature babies. Hydrocephalus in children usually becomes noticeable when the head circumference increases, which does not correspond to age criteria. In addition, in newborns, an important font is the fontanel protruding, meningeal symptoms, for example, tilting the head, strabismus and nystagmus can develop.

Prevention of moderate external hydrocephalus includes prenatal diagnosis of increased intracranial pressure and elimination of its causes.

Acquired moderate cerebral hydrocephalus develops after traumatic brain injuries and inflammatory processes. In adulthood, patients may complain of reduced hearing, vision and even intellectual abilities.

Symptoms of the disease

The main symptoms of this disease include:

• headache, reminiscent of migraine
• vomiting and nausea
• persistent drowsiness
• violation of vestibular functions
• involuntary urination
• double vision in eyes
• Moderate external hydrocephalus substitute

Substrate hydrocephalus occurs in disorders of central nervoussystem. It develops after hemorrhages in the brain, after its concussion or atrophy, which is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

This reduces the absorption and circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, the cerebrospinal fluid displaces the substance of the brain, it can penetrate into the cavities that arose as a result of the atrophy of the nervous tissue.

With this form of external hydrocephalus, intracranial pressure may remain normal.

"Replaceable" it is named because the place that should occupy the brain tissue is replaced by a liquid.

Among the causes of moderate external hydrocephalus substitutions are:

• age-related causes
• atherosclerosis
• high blood pressure
• alcohol abuse
• concussion
• transferred meningitis

This form of mild external hydrocephalus is isolated as it has an asymptomatic course.

It manifests itself only when it becomes impossible to provide normal blood flow in the brain and its hypoxia occurs. Such triggers can be long-term chronic diseases, poisoning, atherosclerosis, a general decline in the adaptive functions of the body, associated with age.

Moderate mixed hydrocephalus substitution occurs when fluid is accumulated both outside the brain( under the membrane) and inside.

Diagnosis of moderate external hydrocephalus

Patient should be examined by a neurologist and neurosurgeon.

The diagnosis of mild-expressed external hydrocephalus can be made exclusively by a doctor after an MRI.Also used radiography, craniography, ultrasound, angiography.

Treatment of moderate external hydrocephalus depends on the state of brain structures, their displacement, and the level of intracranial pressure.

Possible conservative treatment: reduced fluid intake, diet therapy, exercise therapy. Drug treatment is aimed at lowering the pressure, normalizing the functions of the brain, monitoring the supply of its tissues with the necessary substances. Despite this, such methods do not eliminate the cause of the disease, so the priority in the treatment of moderate hydrocephalus of the brain is surgical intervention.

To conduct the operation, the patient is referred to a neurosurgeon. The most modern method of surgical treatment of moderately expressed external hydrocephalus is endoscopic treatment. Shunt methods were abandoned in the 80's due to the high risk of complications, for example, infection.

When endoscopic operation conditions are created for normal outflow of fluid through natural openings without the introduction of foreign objects, which also does not cause autoimmune reactions.

Indications operations:

• high level occlusion
• secondary operation after failure shunt surgery
• hydrocephalus after
• injury mixed form of hydrocephalus

Types endoscopic operations:

• endoscopic removal stoma bottom III ventricle
• plastic
• aqueduct stoma septum
• endoscopic removal intraventricular brain tumor
• installation of shunt system