Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus affects approximately 1 out every 500 children and can be congenital or developed. Congenital hydrocephalus means that the child was born with the disorder.

If hydrocephalus is acquired, the child has developed it after some type of trauma or from a disease/infection. Hydrocephalus is a brain defect in which there is an excessive amount of cerebral fluid in the brain. Because of the extra fluid in the brain, the ventricles become dilated and there is harmful pressure on the brain tissue. Hydrocephalus can be diagnosed prenatally or after birth.

Symptoms of the disorder are rapid head growth, vomiting, sleepiness, seizures, irritability, headaches, poor coordination and balance, loss of development, lethargy, double vision and memory loss. Treatment includes the placement of a shunt through surgery. The shunt will allow the cerebral fluid to flow to another area of the body rather than collecting around the brain.

Comments: Hydrocephalus

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kerriann52 - 298 days ago.
Hi all, i just found this part of the site. My daughter is 2 and has spina bifida and hydrocephalus. If anybody wants to ask me any questions please feel free to message me,.

shelly2011 - 321 days ago.
Hi I am 21 week pregnant and at my 20wk U/S there was signs of fuid on the brain, I had an MRI scan within a few days and fluid is present on left ventricle 18mm and right ventricle 12mm, also there is sign of brain damage on right and left temporal bone areas which could result in severe problems with vision, hearing and siezures. Has anyone else been told brain damage & hydrocephalus

manda2301 - 335 days ago.
hi my name is manda and im 26 years old i have a 6 year old son with spina bifida and hydrocephalus , he had a v.p shunt fitted when he was 6 weeks old and thankfully he has gone from strength to strength . he attends main stream school is very outgoing and chatty. he has some learning difficulties to overcome but is doing really well . im writing on this to offer my support to any parents going thru any problems hopefully my experience will help

kellerfer - 374 days ago.
I was given a leaflet by my babies hospital, it is for a company that sell special matresses. You may be aware that there is more chance of a flat head if they lie on one side all the time, so hopefully this will help. The company is called SleepCurve.com Just thought you may like to look it up x x x

kellerfer - 375 days ago.
I'm just wondering if anyone here knows if aquired hydrocephalus can be caused as a result of childbirth. I suppose the correct question is can a prolonged labour cause a baby to have a bleed on the brain, as it's the bleed on his brain that caused my son's hydrocephalus. Doesn't matter how old this post is when you read it, any input would be great, just message me, thanks x x x

rosie2010 - 437 days ago.
hi i am nearly 34 weeks pregnant and my unborn child has spina bifida and hydrocephalus i had a scan on the 25th of november and the consultant told me the hydro was severe but then others tell me its not. confusing really. i have another scan on the 21st december to check on him again and to book me in for my c section or to be induced but its more than likely to be c section because he breech and has been for 9 weeks :(

reesesmommy - 464 days ago.
I am 28 weeks and went for a u/s yesterday to check on my placenta as I was diagnosed at 20 weeks as having previa. When we went in, the placenta previa is gone but they discovered that Reese has enlargement of the left ventricle of 11.7. I have another u/s scheduled in a month. I also have to see the genetic counselor next week about doing a amio. I did all the other tests so far nuchal scan, blood work to check for birth defects and all went very well. I share with everyone the worry and frustration of having to wait and feeling helpless to do anything to help my unborn son. I've done tons of internet reading and see that best we can hope for is that the next u/s shows a normal reading. Yet I have accepted that this may not be the case. It's the not knowing that has me in knots. I was wondering..does anyone know why they wait a whole month after the first diagnosis? It just seems like a cruel amount of time to have to wait to check. I was wondering what the reason behind the month wait to check again is..and any suggestions as to how you deal with or have dealt with the worrying and stress of waiting would be greatly appreciated...:)

jilljill8886 - 508 days ago.
MOM2HUNTER::_ i've been there and it rough! the best thing i can tell you that helped me was stay positive and just go with whats in your heart...they told me the same thing to a tee, and everything i have learned i have learned this,...with hydrocephalus they can tell you the range of cases they've seen but they can't say for sure thats how its going to be....they can place a shunt and see where it goes from there and every case is different and you really have to live day by day and altho it can be hard, very hard to not know the outcome of something or the future it's still all worth it!

jilljill8886 - 508 days ago.
i also have a son who is going to be 5 months on the 5th of oct. that has hydrocephalus. We found out earlie in the pregnancy, so i had time to learn about it and understand and also cope with what was about to happen....they place his shunt when he was 1 day old and hasn't needed any replacements or blockages....he was also diagnosed with L1 syndrome and that is what made him have his hydrocephalus. at birth his ventricals were both in the 50's, had a c section OF COURSE! he weighed 10 Ibs 8 oz. and hes sooo handsome. if anyone wants to talk, i can relate. and its the scariest thing ever but i love my son more than life and i just live in the now moment

mash4077 - 556 days ago.
i had hydrocephalus and had a peritoneal shunt put in when i was five weeks old. i had to get the tube replaced when i was 13 but that was expected. i have had NO problems whatsoever. if any mommies out there have an questions or just need someone to talk to i'm always here :)

salmasmom - 568 days ago.
Opsbabymama- i will keep u on my prayers. I hope that Robert is ok now;) May God bless you and your family;)

opsbabymama - 605 days ago.
so robert had to have emergency surgery today. i noticed his head was swelling and his fontanelle was firm. when we got to the er his head circumfrence was 53 then went to 55 and this morning went to 57cm. they did and mri an found out that his shunts cathedar had slipped out of place and his shunt wasnt flowing at all. so they put a new peice and he is now in recovery. today is he two months old. plz pray for a speedy recovery

irene31 - 633 days ago.
turtlemom - thank you for the infor i am in my 3rd trimester i am schedule for a c section on june 30 . the doctor kept telling me its nothing , when i ask if its hydrocephalus they tell me no. so nobody is telling me whats going on . but thank you for your infor

turtlemom - 633 days ago.
Hi Irene, the term for enlarged vents without a blockage over-production is Ventriculomegaly. There is a great board on this site - http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/encyclopedia/Pregnancy/Ventriculomegaly. Normal vents are about .6cm (6mm) and .8cm (8mm). When they are between 1.0cm (10mm) and 1.5cm (15mm) this considered mild. Over 15mm is cause for monitoring. Your vents are just barely over the normal range. What week are you? Most mild vents will resolve by the third trimester. On the VM board you will see countless of very positive cases. Your doctor is correct when they tell you not to worry! This is not the norm so feel very thankful for your informed doctor!

irene31 - 633 days ago.
Hi i have a question , went to the Dr. and was told that my son has a dilated later ventrilce it was 0.8 and now its 1.1 they keep telling me not to freak out . but i don't know what normal range is supposed to be. and they also tell me that is not hydrocephalus so does anybody else have the same thing going on. what normal range and what high range to where they might out a shunt in. if any body could help please tell me.

mom2hunter - 641 days ago.
Hello everyone. I was hoping someone would be able to walk me thru this. On saturday (4 days ago) I found out my during my 20 week level 2 ultrasound that my baby has hydrocephalus and ventriculomegaly. The vents are measuring over 20 mm already. HC is measuring at 20.29 cm. I met with a neonatologist and was told that my baby has no chance to live a normal life as this is the crucial weeks (16-20) for a brain to develope. Has anyone been told the same? If so, how was your child born? I was told my baby would be severely brain damaged as the ventricles are so swollen with fluid that there's no room for the brain to grow. My FSH was normal, same with BUNS. I was told that this was an isolated case. Please help. Thank you.

opsbabymama - 643 days ago.
hi all!! well baby robert was born with severe hydrocephalus, right to left ventriculomegaly and a underdeveloped cerebellum. he had his original shunt surgery on the day he was born which was april 22nd. on the 30th his incision was leakink csf fluid so they brought him into the er. they decided to put a programmable shunt since his original one was draining too much too fast. his head circumference was 52.5 cm and now is 46.5 cm. he got to come home on friday just in time for mothers day and daddys birthday. he is having trouble nippling his total feeds but is starting to get the hang of it. other than that he is doing wonderfully and i couldnt ask for a better or cuter lil baby

Siluvssam - 643 days ago.
When I was 19 years old, I was pregnant with my second child. During the last month of pregnancy I was given a ultrasound and at the time was told my daughter would be born with Holoprosencephaly. I was given a 75 % chance it was that or a 25% chance it was Hydrocephalus. My doctor induced me at 29 weeks and told my husband (who was deployed overseas) to prepare for a funeral. I was never directly told about this til after my daughter was out of her VP shunt placement surgery. When Ariannah was born, it was a moment of joy and still pain. While in the NICU the doctor did all the test. X-ray, CT scan, MRI, And sent us home with the diagonsis of Holoprosencephaly with a 2 weeks life length. In shock and awe we did all we could to help her be comortable. After a month of being home and no changes we took her to a children's hospital. There at that hospital they informed us that she didn't have Holoprosencephaly bur Hyrocephalus. Her Shunt was placed and thrived and grew. At 11 months she developed seizures. She is now 5 years old And She is delayed but here with us! That is all that I care about. We have been through hell and back with her condition. I am glad that I had her though. She had thaught me how to be more aware of everything with all my family.

opsbabymama - 674 days ago.
hey all. i didnt even realize there was a forum about hydrocephalus. when i as 19 weeks pregnant my so was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. i recieved a amniocyntesis and was told that it as not chromosmal...they kept urging me to think about terinating. i completely refused. now i am 36 weeks and my sons condition has gotten worse. his ventricles are dialated to 12 cm. his right ventricle is at 75 mm and his left is at 38mm. i have to have a csection at 38 weeks and my son robert has to have brain surgery the day aftr he is born. i am just hoping and praying for the best if anyone has gone through this or is currently please contact me. i would love to have someone to talk to

dessa - 713 days ago.
aleksandra- I was born myself with Water on the brain-hydrocephilis. My mom developed something while i was inside her and they think that it was from sand or kitty liter. Now that I am 10 weeks pegnant i wont get even close to kitty litter or sand. It may be from what I have been through but I dont want mhy baby to have to go through it and from what all the sytemtoms it say u could have with water on the brain I dont have many of them...I am good and only had to have the shunt changed out 1 time in mu life and I am 22 years old and they told my mom I could have to have it changed every 6 months! I mirical is what i call it. I also worried if I could pass it on the my baby genetically and its only if develope the same thing my mom did I was realieved! Hope this helps a little!

turtlemom - 718 days ago.
Aleksandra, it sounds like your baby has Ventriculomegaly instead of Hydro at this point. There is a page on this board - http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/encyclopedia/Babies/Ventriculomegaly&page=1#msg that is very helpful. It is hard to get an accurate scan the further in gestation you are. Did they mention ventricle measurements? If the ventricles are large without them increasing, it is just VM. Let me know if you need anything. My daughter has Hydro among other brain anomolies.

aleksandra - 718 days ago.
Okay...so I went to the second ultra sound my dr requested at the hospital. The tech...not very helpful, acutally made me worry more by not saying anything. The dr said that the first 33 weeks US showed water on the brain, a little more than they would like. So she rquested the hospital staff to do another in depth scan and found that the first measurements were off and the amount of fluid is not as much as originally thought. I asked her if it was hydrocephalus she said she couldn't say for sure. But that she would recommend that the baby has an ultrasound when born to see more. Completely confusing me is that she said, she questions if the first ultrasound was done at the hostpital whether or not the tech would make note of this small amount of water. Then she also said that it could go away on its own. So no real definition of what this is or what is not. All my other scans perfectly normal. Anybody else have a scare like this? Might be something but turns out not to be?

montrealmama - 903 days ago.
Hi, I am new to this site and this nightmare. I am 40 years old and the mother of 5 year old healthy twin boys. I went for my 20 wk routine ultrasound 4 days ago. They told me my baby has bilateral ventriculomegaly of 16 mm on both L and R sides. Her cortex is still greater than 1 cm - so no hydrocephaly yet. Since then I've met with a genetics counselor and had bloods taken for toxo and CVR and had an amnio (should get the FISH results in a day or two.) We'll meet with a neurosurgeon this coming week and hopefully have an MRI. Also scheduled for a fetal echocardiogram in 2 days. All that being said, I only have 3 and 1/2 weeks to collect all my results and make a decision to continue or terminate. In Quebec law, they will not terminate past 24 weeks. None of the doctors or geneticist have ever said this can resolve on it's own. If it is isolated VM, and I don't have toxo, CVR, or a chromosomal defect, then why aren't any of the professionals telling me to hope for spontaneous resolution? How quickly can the ventricle measurements change?

sw - 1037 days ago.
My daughter Maddie was found to have Hydrocephalus 1 week before she was born. It turns out to be that she has an isolated Agenesis Corpus Collosum. The day after she was born she had a shunt placed in her head and it is working well with no infections. She is now 3 months old and developing with mild delays (eye and head control). She smiles, coos and she is able to grasp things and put her hands together, which shows a good sign. It was scary at first finding it all out but I realized I can only take one day at a time and trying to love her the way she is. I always focuss on what she can do instead of what she can't. That is what helps me the best. If anyone wants to chat let me know. Susan

mummybigz - 1177 days ago.
Hi ya all, My baby was born 9 weeks ago with lumbersacral mylomeningecele (spina bifida) He was operated on at 4 days to close his spinal cord, And at 7 weeks he was then diagnosed with Hydrocephalus! He had yet another operation which was for his hydro which was a endoscopic third ventricalostomy, I have been worried sick about him, He seems so small to be having all this done, but hes a little fighter and is recovering fabulous!! These little sweet babies are so much stronger than what you anticipate. If any one would like any info on what we have been through so far i dont mind sharing, as i was mortified when given the news about my babies birth defect as it wasnt detected on any of the scans i had, And i felt so alone and had so many questions to ask but found it hard to find people with the same condition as my little angel! Emma xxx