Hydrocephalus is the accumulation of cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles or over the surface of the brain. Congenital hydrocephalus presents at birth or early infancy and may also follow meningitis, sub-arachnoid hemorrhage or sagittal sinus thrombosis.
Treatment consists of relieving the pressure by bypassing the block to CSF drainage. In most cases a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (V-P shunt) will have to be inserted. This consists of a catheter inserted into the lateral ventricle which drains CSF through a valve that sits on the skull under the scalp, into the peritoneal cavity.
