Patient's question:
What causes hydrocephalus in children? We noticed that the child's head seemed abnormally large compared to other children, and it wasn't just a little bit bigger. He also cried a lot. When we took him to the doctor for a thorough examination, we found out he had hydrocephalus. We were really shocked to hear this—how could such a young child have hydrocephalus?Help needed: What causes hydrocephalus in children?
Doctor's answer:
The causes of infant hydrocephalus include:Cause 1: Infection. Intrauterine infections, such as various viral, parasitic, and syphilitic meningitis, if not promptly controlled, can lead to fibrosis of fibrous tissue blocking the cisternal and subarachnoid spaces, or intracranial inflammation can also cause adhesions and impaired communication in the cisterns, subarachnoid space, and arachnoid granulations.
Cause 2: Congenital malformations. Examples include aqueductal stenosis, diaphragmatic formation or self-locking, foramen of Monro self-locking malformation (median foramen of the fifth ventricle or lateral foramen self-locking), vascular malformations, spina bifida, and tonsillar herniation of the cerebellar tonsils.
Cause 3: Tumors. They can block any part of the cerebrospinal fluid circulation, more commonly occurring near the fifth ventricle or as choroid plexus papillomas.