Hydrocephalus Essay

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1. The goal of treating hydrocephalic child is manifold. If you are trying to decrease intracranial pressure to optimum level and to increase the cerebral mantel thickness to improve intellectual emotional and monitor development. These can only be achieved by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion. When when a shunt is inserted it is purely mechanical treatment and it is also simple but is a lifetime situation for both the patient and the surgeons. Having a ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertedfor hydrocephalus has been the most popular since 1970. This procedure has definitely decreased complication with hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is arguably the most common disoder in pediatric neurosurgery and CFS diversion is the only surgical procedure for it. 2. Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) was decreased in 1965 by Hakim and Adams as a new syndrome in three patients showing a charcteristic clinical triad of altered mentation, gait difficulties, and sphincter disturbance together with ventricular dilation in air studies and normal pressure of the cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) at lumbar puncture. This apparently paradoxical condition has prompted a considerable number of studies aimed at explaining the pathophysiological background of the disease and at identifying the best candidates for CSF shunting surgery. Treatment of (NPH) is surgical by diverting CSF either through the ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial system 3. Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt infection can be detrimental to the pediatric patients with hydrocephalus and his or her family. There are many causesof hydrocephalusin pediatric patients the standard treatment of careis surgical placement of a VP. Familiesof patients that have hydrocephalus must know the signs and symptoms of the VP shunt postoperative period and the tools that they can use to help combat
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