How does hydrocephalus affect my baby

Condition analysis:
The amount of pressure on the brain from the increased size of the ventricles can alter the effect hydrocephalus has on your baby. Most children with simple hydrocephalus (no associated anomalies) that is diagnosed and treated early will function normally. Approximately 75 percent of children with hydrocephalus will have some form of motor disability. Many will have some type of learning disability.

Instructions:
Prognosis for hydrocephalus: Prognosis is dependent on any associated defects that may be related to the cause of hydrocephalus, as well as the amount of pressure exerted on the brain tissue prior to shunting.

The effects of hydrocephalus vary and partly depend upon the cause and treatment required, as well as your baby's response to treatment.

The key to a good prognosis is early detection and treatment, along with preventing infections. Most of the newborns born with hydrocephalus will have a normal lifespan, and approximately 40 to 50 percent will have normal intelligence. Seizure disorders have been diagnosed in about 10 percent of children with hydrocephalus. The mortality rate for infants is approximately 5 percent.

Studies have shown that the risk of shunt failure in the infant's first year is 30 percent. Shunts, on average, are revised about two times in the first 10 years. The risk of intellectual disability is approximately 35 percent. Your baby's pediatrician and pediatric neurologist will provide follow-up care once your baby is home.