What is Hydrocephalus?
Hydrocephalus is a central nervous system disorder that can cause increased pressure in the brain, resulting in brain damage and neurological deficits. Hydrocephalus is caused by inadequate drainage or obstruction of drainage of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. Normally, CSF flows through the central nervous system much like oil flows through your car’s engine. A membrane in the brain produces CSF, which travels down the spinal cord and back again to the brain, where the brain reabsorbs it. Under normal circumstances, this flow pattern keeps just enough CSF in the brain for the brain and nervous system to be healthy. If the brain does not properly reabsorb the CSF, or something in the brain blocks the normal CSF flow, hydrocephalus occurs.
