Dropsy of the brain in children and adults

Dropsy of the brain — a severe disease, which is characterized by the accumulation of excess fluid in the system of ventricles of the brain. In the normal functioning of the body the cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, circulates through the ventricular system into tissue of the nervous system. The CSF protects the brain from mechanical effects, maintains electrolyte balance and creates optimal intracranial pressure.

But in some cases, the cerebrospinal fluid begins to accumulate and subarachnoid space and cavities of the ventricles.

Dropsy of the brain: the causes

In fact, the causes of the excessive accumulation of fluid can be many. For example, dropsy of the brain in adults may be the result of severe infection or tumor growth in nerve tissues. Sometimes this disease may occur as a result of chronic circulatory failure.

Hydrocephalus in the newborn is generally a congenital disease. Developing a similar condition resulting in pregnancy severe infection which broke the formation of the cerebral ventricles. But the dropsy may appear in first months of baby's life. As a rule, the cause may be a severe head injury, meningitis, or intoxication with heavy chemicals. The consequences of the disease can be very different from impaired vision and speech, ending with mental retardation and even death.

Dropsy of the brain: symptoms

To Define such a disease is not always easy, especially in a newborn. The main symptom is the irregular shape of the skull. In addition, in sick infants, you may notice swollen, pulsating Fontanelle. In those places where the skull bones have not yet had time to fully heal, you may receive the protrusion. Symptoms of hydroencephaly include strabismus, impaired hearing and vision.

Recommended

A tablet from worms – the relevance of the application for the person

How relevant today, drugs against worms in humans? What kind of creatures these worms, what are modern methods of treatment? We will try to answer these questions, since ignorance in this area is undesirable. Imagine a mummy, which is misleading in k...

What to do if you cracked skin on hands?

Each of us at least once in a lifetime encounter with a small, but very, when the crack the skin on the hands. At this time there are wounds of different sizes, which hurt and cause inconvenience, especially when in contact with water or detergents. ...

Spray Macho man - the key to a proper relationship between the two spouses

Male impotence is a pathological condition associated with abnormal physiological capacity of the penis to reginout and bring sexual partner pleasure in bed.sex impotenceimpotence may not men to pass unnoticed – it usually spoils his nervous sy...

In adults the first symptom of dropsy is headache. As a rule, patients complain of heaviness in the head, which is particularly evident in the morning. In addition, hydroencephaly may be accompanied by constant nausea and vomiting. Adult patients also complain of increased nervousness, fatigue, decreased performance, lack of libido, incontinence, impotence.

In any case, the presence of anxiety symptoms should seek the help of a specialist.

Dropsy of the brain: methods of diagnosis

Modern medicine has many tools that can rapidly diagnose such diseases. As a rule, to begin with hold a computer or magnetic resonance tomography, which allows to determine the size of the ventricles. As a rule, in dropsy of the cavity of brain ventricles dilated.

Also carry out a lumbar puncture, which determine the level of pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid and its composition. Sometimes hydrocephalus leads to changes of the fundus.

Dropsy of the brain: treatment methods

The Main task of the doctor is to normalize the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid. And since the early 50-ies of the last century, have begun to bypass surgery. The principle is quite simple — with the help of a shunt and special tubes can be used to withdraw excess fluid into other body cavity, for example into the abdominal cavity or the atrium.

To date, all increasingly popular endoscopic surgery, during which are the natural outflow pathway of cerebrospinal fluid in the basal cisterns of the brain. Such surgical techniques reduce the risk of recurrence and trauma, and do not provide for introduction into the body of foreign materials, such as shunts, tubes and valves.