What are the treatment options?

Treatment for hydrocephalus involves draining excess CSF from the brain. This usually involves placing a shunt in the ventricles of the brain that drains the excess fluid to another part of the body, typically the abdomen.

For patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a ventriculo-atrial or ventriculo-peritoneal should be done if they have the triad of symptoms and large ventricles confirmed by CT Scan or MRI Scan.

A third procedure, known as an endoscopic third ventriculostomy, may sometimes be performed to alleviate blockage in the ventricles. In this instance, the neurosurgeon will insert a tiny camera (endoscope) through an opening in the skull into the lateral ventricle. The surgeon will pass the endoscope into the third ventricle and, using precision techniques, make a hole in its floor. Excess CSF will then drain from the third ventricle into the subarachnoid space. Success rates associated with this procedure vary from 72 – 90%. Instrumentation for this procedure is quite expensive and not affordable in 3rd world countries.