Question
How should pediatric external hydrocephalus be treated? The specific situation is that there is widening of the subarachnoid cleft bilaterally in the frontal and parietal regions, the anterior longitudinal fissure of the brain, and the lateral sulcus bilaterally. Corresponding grooves are deepened, with bilateral lateral ventricles appearing full, midline structures centered, and no obvious abnormal density foci in the brain tissue, and no obvious abnormalities in the skull.
Answer
Hydrocephalus refers to the condition where there is an excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles and subarachnoid cleft due to either an overproduction or impaired absorption loop of cerebrospinal fluid. The main causes of hydrocephalus include malformations of the cerebral aqueduct, fetal brain infection, neonatal and postpartum meningitis caused by subdural adhesions from intracranial hemorrhage, and tumor compression leading to poor cerebrospinal fluid circulation or absorption. Additionally, an increase in choroid plexus hyperplasia or papilloma can also cause hydrocephalus, although this is rare.