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Hydrocephalus is a medical condi-
tion where there is too much fluidbuilt up in the brain. The
clear fluid
is called cerebrospinal fluid. If there
is too much cerebrospinal fluid it can
cause spaces in the brain to become
bigger. Dangerous pressure can form
in the brain tissues.
What is Hydrocephalus?Hydrocephalus
1 in 1,000 in-fants are born
with hydro-
cephalus.
Approximate-ly 375,000 of
American
adults have
Normal Pres-sure Hydro-
cephalus.
About .06%
of the children
in the UnitedStates admit-
ted to the hos-
pital are diag-nosed with
Hydrocepha-
lus.
Approximate-ly 125,000shunt opera-
tions take
place in theUnited States
annually.
StaticsOrigin of the word
Hydrocephalus
Hydro means water andcephalus means water in
Greek. Formally known as
water on the brain.
Symptoms Infants: larger head,
vomiting, tiredness,
moodiness, bulging fon-
tanel, and seizures
Children/ Adults: head-
aches, vomiting, nausea,
vision problems, devel-
opmental progress slow-
ing down, not able to
urinate, sleepiness, and
memory loss
Diagnosed
Depending on patient's age itwill vary on the type of exam.
Imaging tests include ultra-
sound, MRI, and CT.
PreventionNot all instances of hydrocephalus
can be prevented, but measures can
be taken to reduce the risks.
Receive prenatal care to prevent
premature labor.
Prevent illnesses, such as menin-
gitis, by getting vaccinated and
obtaining regular checkups.
To prevent head injuries, make
sure baby equipment is properly
set up. Children and adults
should wear helmets on bikes,motorcycle, snowboards, etc.
Everyone should wear seatbelts.
Younger children should be in
car seats and booster seats de-
pending on age and size.
Treatments Shunt operation is the most typi-
cal treatment. A tube is connect-
ed to the ventricle in the brain
and routed to a part of the body
such as abdomen or chamber of
the heart.
Very few can get the ventricu-
lostomy procedure. Using a small
camera the doctor makes a holeat the bottom of a ventricles
to
allow the cerebrospinal fluid to
stream out of the brain.
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Hydrocephalus
Success is determined not
by whether or not you face
obstacles, but by your
reaction to them. And if you
look at these obstacles as a
containing fence, they
become your excuse for
failure. If you look at them
as a hurdle, each one
strengthens you for the
next. -Dr, Ben Carson
Research
Children's Hydrocephalus Sup-port Group
Lori Poliski/Paul Gross
P.O. Box 1611
Woodinville, WA 98071
425-482-0479 (Lori Poliski)
Website: http://
www.hydrosupport.org
Email: [email protected]
Hydrocephalus Association4340 East West Hwy. Suite 908
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-202-3811 888-598-3789
Website: http://
www.hydroassoc.org E-Mail:
[email protected]
Resources ReferencesChumas,P., Tyagi,A., & Livingston,J.
(2001). Hydrocephalus-what's
new? Retrieved from http://
search.proquest.com.ezproxy.aacc.edu/education/
docview/196852218/A202D5982D944586PQ/16?
accountid=40680
Mayo Clinic Staff (2011, September 13).Hydrocephalus Treatment
at
Mayo Clinic -Diseases and Conditions -Mayo Clinic. Retrieved
from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/
hydrocephalus/basics/treatment/con-20030706
National Hydrocephalus Foundation (2012).Resources for
Hydroceph-
alus | National Hydrocephalus Foundation | NHFOnline.org.
Retrieved from http://www.nhfonline.org/resources.htm
NINDS (2013, May).Hydrocephalus Fact Sheet: National Institute
of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Retrieved from
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydrocephalus/detail_hydroc
ephalus.htm
Lindsey Allen
EDU 214
Professor Jennifer
Lara
Spring 2014
Disability is a matter of
perception. If you can do
just one thing well, you're
needed by someone.-
Martna Navratlova
Prevention, treatment, and in the
end trying to find a cure.
The National Institute of Neuro-
logical Disorders and Stroke and
National Institutes of Health give
out grants to leading medical re-
search institutions all around the
United States.
The first NIH research center onhydrocephalus was the Hydro-
cephalus Clinical Research Net-
work.
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