What Are the Types of Hydrocephalus?

My husband sat down suddenly on the sofa and grabbed his head in his hands. After 15 years of marriage, this was a familiar sight. Ever since having a Denver shunt implanted in his early thirties to treat hydrocephalus, he has struggled with varying fluid pressure in his head. Sometimes the only fix for the resulting discomfort is to press on the shunt with his fingers. Like other patients who suffer from this condition, his symptoms are indicators of the type of hydrocephalus from which he suffers.

What is Hydrocephalus?

According to the Mayo Clinic, around 1 out of every 500 children born suffers from this condition. Hydrocephalus is the result of a buildup of excess fluid in the brain. Frequently, this buildup is the end result of something blocking the drainage of fluid. The disorder can cause brain damage and can be fatal if not treated.

Individuals who suffer from hydrocephalus experience a variety of symptoms. For infants, the most common symptoms are being born with an uncommonly large head, experiencing a rapid growth in head size, vomiting, having a bulging area on the top of the head, and experiencing general sleepiness. Some babies are particularly irritable. Seizures and developmental delays aren't uncommon. Another sign of the disorder is known as sunsetting, or a condition where the child's eyes are fixed in a downward position.

The symptoms among older children and adults are even more varied. In addition to sunsetting, they often experience a headache with nausea and/or vomiting and blurred of double vision. Many have trouble with their balance. Mental symptoms include confusion and loss of memory. Personality changes affect some. Urinary incontinence strikes others.

Hydrocephalus affects patients in many different ways. Most patients are treated by the surgical insertion of one of several types of shunts into their heads. Some who have undergone surgery also require medications to prevent seizures.

Types of Hydrocephalus

Doctors recognize six types of hydrocephalus. A patient's symptoms vary according to the cause and the type of the disorder, eMedTV reports.

Congenital hydrocephalus. This type is present when a child is born. Experts speculate that the two likely causes are genetics and environmental influences during the pregnancy. An infection in the uterus and problems with development of the fetus' spinal column are sometimes blamed as causes of this type of hydrocephalus. Sometimes undetected congenital issues at birth elevate a child's risk of experiencing the disorder when older.

Acquired hydrocephalus. Babies develop this type at or after their birth. Potential causes include disease or some type of injury. Acquired hydrocephalus can strike at any age, however.

Communicating hydrocephalus. The name refers to the way cerebrospinal fluid flows in the brain. The condition occurs when this fluid gets blocked once it leaves the patient's ventricles. The name communicating refers to the fact that the fluid is still able to move between open ventricles even though it is blocked from its ultimate path.

Non-communicating hydrocephalus. Patients who suffer with this type of the disorder experience a blockage in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid along at least one pathway that connects the ventricles. Sometimes the root of the problem is a narrowing in a small aisle between the third and fourth ventricles of the brain.

Hydrocephalus ex-vacuo. The cause of this affliction is a stroke or traumatic injury that causes brain damage. In these patients, brain tissue might shrink as a result, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus. Cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the ventricles of the brain when its normal flow is somehow interrupted. As a result, this fluid can't move throughout the brain and the spinal cord as it should. The ventricles increase in size and exert pressure on the brain. This type most commonly strikes the elderly. Typical causes are a brain hemorrhage, head trauma, tumor, infection, or post-surgical complications. Sometimes the cause is never identified.

Knowing the cause and type of hydrocephalus is essential to determine the most helpful treatment for the disorder. The prognosis for each patient is directly linked to how promptly doctors are able to diagnose the condition and begin treating it.

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hydrocephalus/DS00393

http://nervous-system.emedtv.com/hydrocephalus/hydrocephalus.html

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydrocephalus/detail_hydrocephalus.htm#151053125