Hydrocephalus
August 26, 2023 by
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the ventricles (fluid-containing cavities) of the brain and may increase pressure within the head.
Hydrocephalus
August 26, 2023by
Hydrocephalus
Causes
Congenital Cause
Congenital hydrocephalus is present in the infant prior to birth, meaning the fetus developed hydrocephalus in utero during fetal development. The most common cause of congenital hydrocephalus is aqueductal stenosis. Aqueductal stenosis occurs when the narrow passage between the third and fourth ventricles in the brain is blocked or too narrow to allow sufficient cerebro-spinal fluid to drain. Fluid accumulates in the upper ventricles, causing hydrocephalus.
Acquired:
This condition is acquired as a consequence of CNS infections, meningitis, brain tumors, head trauma, toxoplasmosis, intracranial hemorrhage (subarachnoid or intraparenchymal) and is usually painful
Other Causes:
Other causes of hydrocephalus include neural tube defects, arachnoid cysts, Dandy-Walker syndrome, and Arnold-Chiari malformation
Symptoms
Symptoms of increased intracranial pressure may include:
Headaches, Vomiting, Nausea, Papilledema, Sleepiness or coma. Elevated Intracranial pressure may result in uncal or tonsillar herniation, with resulting life-threatening brain stem compression, Hakim's triad of gait instability, urinary incontinence and dementia.
In infants with hydrocephalus, CSF builds up in the central nervous system, causing the fontanelle (soft spot) to bulge and the head to be larger than expected. Early symptoms may also include:
- Eyes that appear to gaze downward
- Irritability
- Seizures
- Separated sutures
- Sleepiness
- Vomiting
- Brief, shrill, high-pitched cry
- Changes in personality, memory, or the ability to reason or think
- Changes in facial appearance and eye spacing
- Crossed eyes or uncontrolled eye movements
- Difficulty feeding
- Excessive sleepiness
- Headache
- Irritability, poor temper control
- Loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence)
- Loss of coordination and trouble walking
- Muscle spasticity (spasm)
- Slow growth (child 0–5 years)
- Slow or restricted movement
- Vomiting
Manage
- Do not feed the child in excess
- do not self - medicate
- watch out for vomiting in such kids
- water intake should be minimal
- void loud sounds around the child's environment
Approaches
Homoeopathic Approach
All kinds of Aquired Hydrocephalus are absolutely curable with Homoeopathy. Depending upon the cause of Hydrocephalus, Homoeopathic medicines can restore the inner brain homoeostasis and fluid balance over a period of some time.
Even after sugical interventions, patients tend to develop hydrocephalus again. This is where Homoeopathy can play a huge role. It not only prevents the recurrence but also can assisst in in faster healing in case of surgically treated hydrocephalus patients.
Limitation lies in Congenital hydrocephalus where surgery is required usually to carry out the normal functioning of the child's body. Here Homoeopathy plays a beautiful complimentary role in preventing the relapse and also improving the quality of life of the patient.
Allopathic Approach
- Hydrocephalus can be successfully treated by placing a drainage tube (shunt) between the brain ventricles and abdominal cavity.
- Hydrocephalus treatment is surgical, creating a way for the excess fluid to drain away. In the short term, an external ventricular drain (EVD), also known as an extraventricular drain or ventriculostomy, provides relief. In the long term, some patients will need any of various types of cerebral shunt. It involves the placement of a ventricular catheter (a tube made of silastic) into the cerebral ventricles to bypass the flow obstruction/malfunctioning arachnoidal granulations and drain the excess fluid into other body cavities, from where it can be reabsorbed.
- An alternative treatment for obstructive hydrocephalus in selected patients is the endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), whereby a surgically created opening in the floor of the third ventricle allows the CSF to flow directly to the basal cisterns, thereby shortcutting any obstruction, as in aqueductal stenosis.
Investigation
- CSF testing
- MRI of the Brain
- CT scan of the brain
- LFT
- KFT
- Complete Haemogram
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