The Damage Wrought

Here we will discuss the damage caused by hydrocephalus.

As we have touched on earlier, the main causes of HC are either birth defects (such as a bloakcage of the tube, or too much CSF production) or adverse events that cause damage to the brain. Basically anything that might damage the tubes that store and drain CSF from the brain. 

Let's first take a look at the ventricles. I showed a picture in my last post of a child with HC and the extra CSF that was present, but let's take a look at what the ventricles are supposed to look like. 

Ventricles in the brain (Wikipedia)

Here we can see the lot of internal structures that are present in the brain. The blue is where the CSF flows inside the brain. Remember that CSF's job is to bring nutrients to the brain. 

ventricle comparison (Wikipedia, CDC)

Now what happens when too much fluid builds up in the brain? Well with the increase in fluid comes and increase in pressure. In an infant the head can swell because the skull bones are not all fused, but this does not free them from the damaging effects of increased pressure. Slight to severe learning difficulties can be present in infants who have treated HC, but research on adults who had had shunts placed within their first year of life have been promising, showing that they may present with learning difficulties without having an overall impact on intelligence or functioning. (Lindquist, B. et. al. 2011)

This increase in pressure causes damage to the small blood vessels, the nerves, and the other structures in the brain. As the pressure increases more and more damage is caused. Time is of the essence with Increased ICP. The sooner the pressure is relieved the less damage and risk for complications there will be. 

That raps up this post. Next we will be diving in to the diagnostic measures, and how docs go about determining what is causing the HC. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventricular_system#/media/File:Blausen_0896_Ventricles_Brain.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocephalus#/media/File:Hydrocephalus_CDC.png

Lindquist, B. et. al. (2011). Very Long term follow up of cognitive function in adults treated in infancy for hydrocephalus. Child's Nervous System. 27 (4) pp. 597-601 retrieved from: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00381-010-1311-y