A Tube For A Tube

This post will cover treatment modalities of Hydrocephalus

Now that we have covered all the bad stuff lets take a gander at the awesome and amazing ways we can help infants and people with hydrocephalus recover and live normal lives!

Since the most common causes of hydrocephalus are tube defects we will be focusing on the treatment method for that specific type. Also this treatment method is what is used for excess creation of CSF as well so that will be covered as well. Hooray for two birds. 

The primary and most effective treatment method is called a cerebral shunt. A shunt is basically an alternate tube and in this case it is one that allows the CSF to drain into another part of the body where it can be absorbed easily. The most common drainage location is the peritoneum (in the abdomen near the intestines), but it is occasionally drained into one of the heart vessels as well. 

[1] Types of cerebral shunts

As you can see the shunt is placed into the ventricle between brain tissue and is then directed to its drop off point. A valve is put in place to determine the rate of CSF drainage. As the infant ages the shunts length will have to be increased and the valve may have to be adjusted to match increasing or decreasing CSF production. This will have to happen multiple times until they reach full size, and they must be monitored throughout this process to make sure the CSF is draining properly.  As they grow older though it is easier to determine early warning sign of CSF accumulation. 

The valves come in two major types according to the FDA, Fixed and Adjustable. (FDA, 2014)

A fixed valve allows CSF to flow through it after the pressure reaches a "fixed" threshold. The adjustable valve lets CSF flow through at a certain rates. Valves can be adjusted either externally or internally depending on the type. The externally adjustable ones are adjusted through use of a magnetic tool that can adjust the setting on the valve through the patient's skin and tissue. 

Shunts are amazing in the fact that once the patient has recovered from the procedure they can live a relatively normal life with the CSF movement causing no further issues as long as the shunt remains effective. 

In regards to other types of treatments for different types of issues: the most common other cause of hydrocephalus is either an intracranial bleed or a brain tumor, and for these situations it is corrected by surgical repair via tumor removal or stopping of the hemorrhage. In most cases long term CSF control is not needed, although with infant brain tumors prognosis can be poor, and hemorrhage can cause lasting effects on the mental and physical growth of infants. 

That raps up this post! Tune in next post as we dive in to the things nurses have to keep an eye out for as well as some helpful websites for parents of those with hydrocephalus. 

1 https://www.quora.com/Where-do-cerebral-shunts-drain-cerebrospinal-fluid-CSF-to-and-what-happens-to-CSF-once-drained

FDA. (2014). Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) Shunt Systems. Medical Devices. Retrieved from: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/CerebralSpinalFluidCSFShuntSystems/default.htm