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What is hydrocephalus?
There is cerebrospinal fluid that circulates around the brain, and there are holes in the base of the brain where this fluid escapes from the ventricles. If the holes are plugged up by inflammation, the fluid cannot escape. This causes hydrocephalus, a condition where the ventricles are swollen and the brain is forced down on the tentorial membrane in the base of the brain where breathing, heart rate and heart beat are controlled. Click here for more information.
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What clinical findings (signs, symptoms,
and test results) indicate hydrocephalus?
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Treatment Options
When hydrocephalus has been confirmed with an MRI, it is critical to act quickly; untreated, it is usually fatal. Emergency surgery is performed where tubing is placed through the brain tissue into the ventricles and run outside the skull into a container to drain the spinal fluid and reduce the pressure. Later permanent internal tubing is inserted that directs the fluid to the peritoneum (belly) where it is absorbed. This can be a permanent solution.
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Science Links
Brain function
Understanding the brain
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