Hydrocephalus refers to excess cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain.
Some children are born with hydrocephalus and others develop hydrocephalus secondary to other problems such as infection, hemorrhage, or tumor. At Rainbow we offer comprehensive care for children with all forms of hydrocephalus.
Cerebrospinal fluid is made in the ventricles of the brain, circulated around the brain and spinal cord, and absorbed through filters back into the veins near the top of the brain.
The standard treatment for hydrocephalus is a shunt that diverts cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles to another place in the body where the spinal fluid can be absorbed, typically the abdominal cavity lined by the peritoneum. Shunts are completely internal.
Selected patients with hydrocephalus can be successfully treated without a shunt using a procedure called endoscopic third ventriculostomy (Neuroendoscopy- Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery).