HYDROCEPHALUS

Hydrocephalus
Victoria Hall
Pharmacy Technician
Mode B
Mr. Monforte
September 7, 2012

Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is an abnormality of the normal dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The CSF is a water-like fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The changes that occur in the brain that give rise to hydrocephalus involve the thinning of the cerebral cortex.
In patients with Hydrocephalus, the cerebral cortex is much thinner than normal. This is caused when an excess of CSF causes the ventricles to become abnormally large which in turn puts a large amount of pressure on the cerebral cortex and causes it to become compressed. The abnormal accumulation of CSF can occur if the choroid plexus over produces CSF or if any of the ventricles or arachnoid villi in the brain become blocked interfering with the re absorption of CSF. (Hydrocephalus, 2012)
Hydrocephalus causes the appearance of the head to look enlarged and is sometimes known as water on the brain. The amount of excess CSF varies from patient to patient and it seems that the more excess fluid that there is in the brain then the greater the degree of disability for the patient. A person with a small to middling excess of CSF can live normally with normal and above average IQ s but a large excess of fluid can cause severe mental retardation.
Hydrocephalus is diagnosed through clinical neurological evaluation and by using cranial imaging techniques such as ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or pressure-monitoring techniques. A physician selects the appropriate diagnostic tool based on an individual’s age, clinical presentation, and the presence of known or suspected abnormalities of the brain or spinal cord.
Hydrocephalus