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Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus · Hydrocefalus

What it is

CSF accumulates and stretches the ventricles.

Symptoms & signs

  • Headache
  • vomiting
  • gait apraxia
  • incontinence
  • cognitive slowing
  • in babies: swelling head

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Headache with vomiting and drowsiness, especially with a shunt
  • call 112 / 911 now Baby with a bulging soft spot, eyes looking down or constant vomiting
  • call 112 / 911 now Seizure or loss of consciousness
  • see a doctor soon Fever or redness along the shunt

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Ventriculoperitoneal shunt
  • endoscopic third ventriculostomy
  • acetazolamide as a stopgap

Natural & lifestyle

  • Shunt-failure awareness and follow-up

Emerging & experimental

  • Programmable and smart shunts with telemetry

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Physiotherapy after shunting — gains in walking and balance early / small studies
  • Headache remedies (caffeine, painkillers) — can mask a failing shunt; seek help instead anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes