What is congenital hydrocephalus?

Hydrocephalus means that too much fluid is building up inside your baby's brain. This extra fluid can increase pressure on the brain. It can make your baby's head look larger than normal and make the soft spots on your baby's head feel firm or bulge out.

Early treatment for your newborn can help protect the brain from long-term injury.

The goal of treatment is to lower the pressure on the brain by getting rid of the extra fluid. There are two common ways to do that:

• The doctor may place a flexible tube, called a shunt, in your baby's brain. The shunt carries the extra fluid away from the brain to another part of your baby's body, such as the belly or heart. Your baby's body can take in the extra fluid without harm.
• The doctor may perform a surgery called ETV (endoscopic third ventriculostomy). In ETV, the doctor makes a small hole in a deep part of your baby's brain. The hole allows the extra fluid to flow out of the brain and into the body, where it can be taken in without harm.

No matter what kind of treatment your child has had, you and your child's doctors will need to watch your child closely to make sure that the fluid in the brain continues to drain. Pressure can build up in the brain again. Shunts can become blocked or infected. These problems need to be treated right away.

Symptoms such as irritability, poor appetite, sleeping too much, and vomiting may be signs that fluid has built up again. After early childhood, there may be other symptoms to watch for, such as headaches, vision problems, or problems walking. Shunt infections may also cause a fever and redness along the shunt tract or valve.

As your child grows, you'll need to watch for problems with brain development. These could include things like delayed learning, problems with motor skills, and speech problems. Talk to your doctor about any new problems or changes you see.

The clearest symptom of hydrocephalus is a head that is larger than normal. You and your doctor may notice it when the baby is born. Your baby's head may grow faster than the normal rate for a baby's height and weight. They may also be irritable, sleep too much, vomit, or eat very little.

Early treatment can help limit or prevent injury to the brain. Treatment focuses on reducing the amount of fluid in the brain to relieve pressure.

The doctor may place a flexible tube, called a shunt, in the brain to drain the fluid. The shunt carries fluid to another part of the body (usually the belly or the heart), which then absorbs the fluid. The shunt may stay in the brain for life, though it may have to be fixed or replaced later if it becomes blocked or infected.

A surgery called endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) may be used. In ETV, a small hole is made in the deep part of the brain so that the fluid in the brain can flow freely.

Sometimes emergency treatment is needed to reduce the fluid. This may include medicines, a lumbar puncture (sometimes called a spinal tap), or a procedure to drain fluid from the brain until a shunt can be put in.

If your child has any developmental problems or delays caused by an injury to the brain, your doctor can help you find the care you need. Treatment will focus on the specific problems your child has. For example, speech therapy can help with speech delays. Physical therapy can help with motor skill problems.

A fetal ultrasound can sometimes show the problem before birth. But most cases are found during an exam soon after birth. Your doctor may suspect that your baby has congenital hydrocephalus if your baby's head is larger than normal. Imaging tests, such as a CT scan, an MRI, or an ultrasound, may be needed.

This condition is caused by an imbalance between how much fluid the brain makes and how well the body is able to process it.

Normally, fluid flows through and out of chambers of the brain called ventricles, and then around the brain and spinal cord. The fluid is then absorbed by the thin tissue around the brain and spinal cord. But with hydrocephalus, the fluid can't move where it needs to or is not absorbed as it should be. And in rare cases the brain makes too much fluid.

Congenital hydrocephalus may happen because of:

• Bleeding in the fetus before birth.
• Certain infections in the birth parent, such as toxoplasmosis or syphilis.
• Conditions present at birth, like spina bifida.
• A genetic condition.

Watch for possible problems as your baby's brain develops. These could include delayed learning, problems with motor skills, and speech problems. Talk to your doctor about new problems or changes you see. Take care of yourself. Get enough rest, eat well, and exercise. Ask your doctor where to find help and support.