What are the treatments for hydrocephalus in infants?

Hydrocephalus is a common disease in infancy and childhood, and the incidence rate is relatively high. After becoming ill, patients often suffer from symptoms such as mental decline or dementia. Therefore, parents must seek treatment as soon as possible after discovering their children's illness. Early treatment leads to early cure to avoid the disease from worsening. So what are the treatments for hydrocephalus in infants? Let’s find out.

Drug therapy: is a common treatment method. The shortcomings of drug therapy may include: ① It can only temporarily relieve symptoms such as intracranial hypertension caused by hydrocephalus. ② Long-term medication can easily cause electrolyte imbalance, liver and kidney function damage, etc. Drug treatment often includes: ① dehydrating agents: such as mannitol; ② diuretics: such as hydrochlorothiazide (hydrochlorothiazide), furosemide; ③ adrenal cortical hormones: such as dexamethasone (flumethasone), prednisone (prednisone); ④ carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: such as acetazolamide (acetazolamide); ⑤ brain cell activation and nutrition agents: such as cerebrolysin, brain nerve growth factor, etc.

Surgical treatment: In the past 20 years, scholars from all over the world have conducted a large number of clinical studies on the treatment of hydrocephalus, but there has been no breakthrough progress. Surgical treatment is the main research approach, which can be summarized as follows: ① lateral ventricle-cerebellomedullary cistern shunt; ② autologous great saphenous vein transplantation for lateral ventricle-internal jugular vein shunt; ③ ventricle-thoracic duct shunt; ④ lateral ventricle-cortical vein shunt; ⑤ lateral ventricle-transverse sinus shunt; ⑥ lateral ventricle-lymphatic shunt; ⑦ cerebral aqueduct catheterization; ⑧ ventricle-atrial shunt; ⑨ ventricle-superior sagittal sinus shunt; ⑩ ventricle-peritoneal shunt; (11) ventricle-bladder shunt; (12) lateral ventricle drainage. But the most commonly used are ventriculoatrial shunt and ventriculoperitoneal shunt.

Before implementing surgical treatment, it is necessary to understand the indications for surgery. Surgical indications for hydrocephalus: ① Congenital hydrocephalus (communicating and non-communicating): symptoms worsen, Chinese and Western medicine treatments are ineffective, the child has no serious intellectual disability and the cerebral cortex still has a certain thickness; ② Acquired obstructive and communicating hydrocephalus; ③ Normal intracranial pressure hydrocephalus.

Regarding the introduction of the treatment methods for hydrocephalus in infants, we hope that parents can pay attention to it and actively treat their children's disease with methods such as medication and surgery. Active treatment in the early stages of the disease can alleviate the deterioration of the disease. We should also pay attention to nursing work in daily life.