Brain hydrocephalus in infants. Moderate, substitution, mixed, outdoor. What is it, photo, symptoms, causes, medication, folk remedies. Prognosis, the consequences in the future

The occurrence of brain hydrocephalus in children age newborn associated with the accumulation of excessive amounts of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the body. Is an increase in the volume of the cranium, the head deformity develops. In clinical practice, pathology is still referred to as the edema of the brain.

What is hydrocephalus in infants

brain hydrocephalus in the newborn - is a serious disease associated with malformation body tissue when the ventricles inside it is an accumulation of fluid. It is not removed from the skull and the baby is not absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result of this process is disrupted division marrow cells and formation of new tissue.

It is filled subarhanoidalnogo cerebrospinal fluid space. A sick child diagnosed with this pathology is called hydrocephalus.

If not promptly take measures of medical or surgical treatment, the infant awaiting death, or else permanent disability with impaired brain development, leading to a dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system and internal authorities.

Causes of Hydrocephalus

There is an exhaustive list of causal factors that can cause such severe illness in newborns.

The emergence of hydrocephalus possible in the following cases:

• during passage through the birth canal child has received a head injuryWhich was not detected by medical staff and entailed the development of complications;
• woman bears a child, he suffered an infectious disease, microorganisms which overcame the placental barrier and penetrate into the fruit triggered irreversible changes in the brain tissue (e.g., cytomegalovirus infection, syphilis, rubella);
• tumor growths in the brain that disrupt normal body ventricles (may have, both benign and cancerous etiologies with formation even during fetal development);
• increased intracranial pressureWhich led to the emergence of hypertension-hydrocephalic syndrome (most common in cases where a woman, being in a state of pregnancy, abuse alcohol drinks, uses drugs and tobacco products);
• underdevelopment ductsin the cerebral ventricles, must be provided through which fluid outflow;
• inherent the presence of such diseases as Chiari syndrome, brain when dimensions several times smaller than the internal volume of the cranium, which causes imbalance in intracranial pressure;
• genetic abnormality, associated with chromosomal abnormalities (also common in newborn babies in the family where there were similar cases of the birth of babies with cerebral edema);
• intoxication body of the child in utero, which arose in connection with the initial poisoning pregnant women (toxic effects of toxic substances may be caused by poor-quality food products, chemicals, salts of heavy metals, alcohol, and other pathogenic factors);
• meningitis, cause brain hydrocephalus in the newborn, as a complication of inflammatory infectious nature of origin (characteristic of the disease, occurring in the first days after birth, when the protective function of the immune system is not yet strong enough to withstand such a dangerous bacterial agents).

brain hydrocephalus in the newborn is a relatively rare disease, which occupies 0.12% of the total number of congenital malformations.

This also applies to those forms of cerebral edema, which were acquired in the first days of a child's life as a result of inflammation infectious nature, trauma, concomitant treatment improperly organized pathologies.

form of the disease

For accurate diagnosis, which includes a list of specific symptoms and overall the clinical picture of the disease, the brain hydrocephalus in infants classified into separate forms.

They are as follows:

• open - ducts within the body of the ventricles are completely open, and some of them are even too expanded state, but the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid does not occur;
• closed - There is no physiological connection between the ventricles of the brain and other body tissues that cause birth abnormalities, genetic nature of the infringement, adhesions in the channels that have been caused by an acute inflammatory process;
• external - an excessive amount of liquid begins to accumulate exclusively in the subarachnoid space;
• internal - the exact opposite of the outer shape of hydrocephalus, characterized by the formation of CSF within the brain ventricles and the excess liquid does not accumulate in the cavity of the cranium;
• mixed - the most rare form of neonatal hydrocephalus, which is cumbersome to conventional treatment, as characterized by the simultaneous appearance of CSF within the ventricles the brain and the subarachnoid space (this kind of pathology is still characterized by large volumes of liquid, since it is simultaneously spread across all segments of the cranial boxes);
• chronic - the disease is sluggish, it appears periodically as a reaction to the impact of one or several pathological factors (constant contact with toxic chemicals, not dolechennaya infection, head injury, which is not received in time therapy);
• acute - develops rapidly, and the child's health condition is deteriorating rapidly, completely stop the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles of the brain and intracranial space (this form of hydrocephalus flow requires urgent treatment with surgery to prevent extensive swelling of the brain brain);
• occlusive - it appears as a result of ventricular duct blockage, which is caused by the formation of extraneous impediments in the form of a tumor, hematoma, clots blood after a stroke or traumatic brain injury (occlusal form hydrocephalus newborn always has exclusively an internal manifestation).

brain hydrocephalus in the newborn, regardless of its development requires an integrated Survey the entire body of the child and establish the cause that caused the pathology of authority. This will guarantee successful treatment with minimal risk of disease recurrence.

The main signs and symptoms in newborns

brain hydrocephalus in infants is the main and additional signs indicating the progress of the disease. The underlying disease symptom is rapid growth of cranial circumference that can be easily seen visually without the use of instrumental methods of diagnosis.

Additional features of hydrocephalus in infants are the following pathological states:

• the child is distressed, spontaneously throwing the head of the line of the shoulders (to keep a sick child's head becomes extremely complicated, it requires a lot of physical effort);
• eyeballs are moved to the bottom of the orbit, the child progresses severe form of strabismus (attempts to restore normal position eyeballs will bring a positive effect, until the normalized balance of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull and the ventricles brain);
• fontanelle newborn is in the inflamed and swollen state, there are traces of redness of the skin surface;
• grudnichok refuses to take food, or else opens vomiting after 1-2 minutes. after feeding;
• there are convulsions, which are expressed in the body crimping, spasm of the muscle fibers of the lower limbs and the absence of the child's response to external stimuli.

brain Hydrocephalus in infants, be severe, capable of eliciting such dangerous symptoms such as blurred vision and partial loss of hearing. The severity of symptoms of the disease depends on the amount of accumulated liquid, and timely treatment.

diagnosing

Newborn with signs of hydrocephalus brain examined, beginning with the collection of information which includes itself while the first symptoms, the establishment of causal factors affecting the occurrence pathology.

Then, the physician assigns a child following a diagnostic study:

• examination by a neurologist - can detect intracranial hypertension, which is a characteristic sign of hydrocephalus in infants, as well as track the reflex response to external stimuli;
• echoencephalography - it is an analogue of a screening method, as it gives an opportunity to establish the location of the violation cerebral tissue, the appearance of increased intracranial pressure, excessive expansion of the walls ventricles of the brain;
• neuroimaging - from infants through performed using the method fontanel nejrosonografii (determined place localization excess liquid, and a provisional volume set CSF);
• MRI of the brain - the most innovative and effective method of investigation of the body, which struck hydrocephalus (doctor gets detailed information on the structure of tissues, ducts ventricles, as well as extraneous malignancy that hinder stable outflow of CSF).

Urine analysis, capillary and venous blood is carried out in a standard manner and is necessary for the doctor to have a general idea about the state of Child Health, during biochemical reactions in the body, the absence or presence of inflammation, viral and bacterial pathogens microorganisms.

Grudnichok also being examined in the pediatric ophthalmologist and audiologist to rule out complications, reduce the functionality of the organ of vision and hearing.

drug therapy

Treatment of cerebral edema in newborns via pharmacy drugs is extremely low therapeutic effect. This is due to the fact that not all types of medicines approved for use in relation to infant.

Drug therapy may be used in the presence of the initial form of hydrocephalus, which is not characterized by a large number of complications and rapid progression dynamics.

In this case, the following drugs:

• aktovegin - 1 intravenously once a day with an initial dose of 5 ml (depending on weight newborn and the number of months, the dose can be adjusted by your doctor to decrease or increase);
• Vazobral - apply a drug solution which is added from a pipette into the nutrient mixture or expressed breast milk, and then allowed to newborn (recommended dosage of 2-4 ml, 2 times a day);
• potassium aspartate - a medical solution for the symptomatic treatment of hydrocephalus in the newborn, which provides removal of excess fluid outside the body via the kidneys (effective only if the liquor retention in the ventricles is not associated with blocking tumor ductal tumors, hematomas or adhesions);
• diakarb - tablet formulation, which is assigned based on the ratio of 10 mg / 1 kg body weight of the newborn (So ​​that the child was able to take a pill, it is ground to a fine powder, mixed with food and suckle).

Drug treatment of brain Hydrocephalus is individual in newborns. The selection of the drug, the duration of therapy and the definition of drug dosage is influenced by such factors, grudnichka as weight, concomitant diseases, complications caused by hydrocephalus, the therapeutic response of an organism to process.

At the discretion of the doctor may be used other kinds of drugs.

Surgical intervention

The operation is the most common way of treating hydrocephalus in infants. Timely surgical intervention makes it possible to eliminate the excess cerebrospinal fluid, improve the child's quality of life or to fully restore brain health.

Allocate the following surgical techniques:

• externaldrainage - is used only in extreme cases, surgery is characterized by deducing from the cranial cavity of the drainage system through which compulsorily carried CSF outflow;
• neuroendoscopy - progressive hydrocephalus treatment, aimed at restoring the ducts in the brain tissue, which is discharged through the cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles of the brain in the tank;
• bypass - considered the most primitive method of operative treatment and is carried out under conditions of surgical departments of hospitals that do not have the ability to use advanced technology and modern medical equipment (child perform craniotomy, injected into the brain ventricle catheter and the shunt to remove stagnant liquid).

The only drawback of the surgical method of treating disease - it is a high probability of infection and complications relative to the centers the brain responsible for the functioning of internal organs, the functionality of the musculoskeletal system, psycho-emotional reactions, thought process.

Folk remedies

The use of folk remedies in therapy such as serious illness like hydrocephalus in infants, found no scientific evidence.

Yet following the recipes of domestic medicines are used in everyday life:

• a decoction of the roots of calamus - 40-50 g rhizomes, purified from dirt, washed, then pour 200 ml of water and boiled for a further 20 min. (Newborn give 1 tbsp. l. medicines 2 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals);
• milk with lemon balm - need to take 5 leaves of medicinal plants, wash them thoroughly under running water, mash to the performances of juice, then pour advance expressed breast milk or nutrient mixture (folk remedy infused over 40 minutes, balm leaves are removed, and then carried out feeding the baby milk, in which the composition of the substance are useful medicinal plant, capable of output of liquor ventricles);
• tincture of cornflower - need to take the 1 hour. l. dried flowers of the plant, pour 150 ml of boiling water and let stand 15 min. (Child drink 1 hr. l. 3 times a day before feeding).

It is important to remember that conventional medicine does not recommend to use the popular recipes in the fight against brain hydrocephalus in infants. This is due to the high probability of deterioration in the child's state of health, occurrence of complications and even death.

Forecast and consequences pathology

The consequences of brain hydrocephalus in children age newborn directly depend on how promptly established the presence of pathology and started appropriate treatment. A child with a qualified medical assistance with medications or surgery, further develops without pathological disorders.

It can only be a slight speech impediment. In the case of a shunt infection, drainage catheter or a wound surface of the wound after neuroendoscopy, the development of the clinical picture is difficult to predict. There is a high probability of disability, appearance of epilepsy or the occurrence of death.

Registration of the article: Lozinski Oleg

Video of the brain hydrocephalus

What is brain hydrocephalus in infants: