Adult-Onset Hydrocephalus: Understanding Your Diagnosis

When you (or a loved one) receive a diagnosis like adult-onset hydrocephalus, you’re not exactly in the frame of mind to fully understand what you’ve just been told.

Now that you have a quieter moment, Dr. Paul Gill and our team here at Gill Neuroscience want to review a few important pieces of information when it comes to adult-onset hydrocephalus, which we review here.

Hydrocephalus — pressure on the brain

Split apart, the term hydrocephalus comes from “hydro,” which means water, and “cephalus,” which refers to the head.

With hydrocephalus, the water part of the equation is actually cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is a clear liquid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord. CSF performs some very critical functions, including:

• Protecting your brain and acting like a shock absorber
• Delivering nutrients and removing waste from your central nervous system
• Regulating pressure inside your brain

When you have hydrocephalus, this fluid isn’t flowing through your brain and, instead, builds up in the cavities called ventricles. This buildup leads to pressure inside your head, and since your skull isn’t pliant, the pressure can damage your brain.

Who gets hydrocephalus

About 1 million Americans have hydrocephalus, and the issue most often develops in babies. About 1 in every 770 babies born in the United States will have hydrocephalus.

Since we're discussing adult-onset hydrocephalus, let's look at how this condition develops on this end of the age spectrum. 

Hydrocephalus in adults can come on the heels of a traumatic brain injury or it might occur due to a brain tumor or meningitis. In adults over the age of 60, the condition is often normal-pressure hydrocephalus.

Normal-pressure encephalitis is a gradual condition that occurs when CSF-draining passageways become blocked over time. Experts believe that normal-pressure hydrocephalus might account for about 5% to 6% of cases of dementia as the gradual blockage and build up of pressure affect brain function.

Treating adult-onset hydrocephalus

If we diagnose you with adult-onset hydrocephalus, the best way to treat the condition and relieve your symptoms is through surgery. The goal of this surgery is to relieve the pressure inside your brain using one of these approaches:

• Removing the blockage
• Implanting a shunt to divert excess CSF
• Creating new pathways for CSF inside your brain

In some cases, we might have to first divert the excess CSF before we go back in to remove the obstruction. This can occur if you have a brain tumor that’s causing CSF buildup and the pressure reaches critical levels. 

It’s impossible to say here which treatment path is best for your adult-onset hydrocephalus. We know that surgery might not be what you want to hear, but we assure you it’s the best option for resolving hydrocephalus.

To figure out your next steps for adult-onset hydrocephalus, we invite you to call our office in Houston, Texas, at 832-912-7777, or use our online request form to schedule an appointment.