What are the symptoms of hydrocephalus in premature infants?

The sequelae of hydrocephalus in premature infants are a concern for many parents, because the baby's physical health is the issue that parents pay most attention to, so once the baby has such a disease, it will definitely cause distress to the parents. Therefore, we need to understand the sequelae of hydrocephalus in premature infants so that we can make judgments based on the baby's condition. Then timely treatment can be given.

What are the symptoms of hydrocephalus in premature infants?

⑴ Increase in head circumference: The baby's head progressively increases in size within a few weeks or months after birth, and the anterior fontanelle also expands and bulges accordingly. The growth proportions of the head and trunk are out of balance, such as the head is too large and too heavy and hangs down in front of the chest, the head is not proportional to the face, the head is large and the face is small, the forehead is prominent, the lower jaw is pointed, the skull is thin, and there are also swollen superficial veins and a shiny scalp.

⑵ When the anterior fontanelle is enlarged, the tension increases, the child is held upright and quiet, and the fontanelle remains bulging instead of sunken, and no normal pulsation is seen, it indicates increased intracranial pressure. The main manifestation of increased intracranial pressure in infancy is vomiting. Since infants cannot speak yet, they often express discomfort and pain in the head by scratching their heads, shaking their heads, crying, etc. When the condition worsens, drowsiness or coma may occur. What is the standard for the enlargement of the anterior fontanelle? What is the normal standard? Click for online consultation and experts will interpret it immediately.

⑶ Broken jar sound: When percussing the head of a child with hydrocephalus (at the junction of the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes), the sound is like breaking a jar or a ripe watermelon.

⑷ "Sunset eyes" phenomenon: Further development of hydrocephalus, compression of the midbrain tectum or axial displacement of the brainstem, produces a syndrome similar to Parinaud's ophthalmoplegia, that is, upward gaze paralysis, which makes the baby's eyes unable to look up, resulting in the so-called "sunset eyes" sign.

⑸ Severe hydrocephalus due to skull transillumination: If the thickness of the brain tissue (cortex, white matter) is less than 25px, use a strong flashlight to directly touch the scalp. If there is brightness when transilluminated, it is positive. If it is normal brain tissue, it is negative (no brightness).

⑹ Optic disc atrophy. Primary optic disc atrophy is more common in infantile hydrocephalus, and optic disc edema cannot be seen even if there is increased intracranial pressure.

The above content is about the sequelae of hydrocephalus in premature infants. I believe that parents have already understood it. So if our baby encounters such a problem, we can judge the baby’s symptoms and then carry out relevant treatment. Therefore, this is very important for parents and friends. Parents must pay attention to this, because the baby's physical health is the most important.