How can I independently determine the presence of hydrocephalus in a baby?
The signs of cerebral hydrocephalus in children are few. The main one is a sharp increase in the volume of the baby's head. Due to the fact that the bones of the skull of the baby are not yet fully consolidated, with the accumulation of fluid in the brain, they gradually expand and the head freely increases in volume.
The signs of hydrocephalus in infants are:
- frequent headaches;
- nausea and vomiting;
- poor fundus;
- increased hands tone.
Due to the fact that the volume of the head is constantly increasing, the cranial bones become thin, and the frontal bone thus sharply protrudes. Because of these disorders, there are numerous developmental abnormalities, such as:
- The crumb begins to hold his head much later than the due date;
- because of the large volume of the head, the baby later begins to sit.
This is due to the fact that along with the progression of the disease, the tone of the muscular musculature decreases, because of which the physical development of the child with hydrocephalus sharply slows down.
How is hydrocephalus treated in children?
After the diagnosis, my mother is concerned only with one question: "Is hydrocephalus treated in children?". The main goal of the therapy of this disease is the removal of excess fluid accumulated in the brain's ventricles. To this end, the doctors periodically perform a puncture. This procedure is performed exclusively in a hospital setting and is aimed at reducing intracranial pressure. In order to reduce the amount of cerebrospinal fluid produced by the body, the baby is assigned Diacarb.
The main method of treating cerebral hydrocephalus in young children is ventriculo-peritoneal bypass. After this operation, excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain is discharged into other cavities (most often used abdominal), from which it is excreted outside the body.
It is known that in most cases, this pathology ends in a fatal outcome. That is why, parents often are interested in neuropathologists about how many children live with hydrocephalus. Forecasts for this disease are not comforting. So, most children die before 10 years.