Congenital Anomalies of the Central Nervous System - Essay Example

 Alterations in the production or re-absorption can result in pathological conditions like hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a pathological state in which the amount of cerebrospinal fluid rises from the normal amount in the ventricular system (Mitchell et al 2007).

            Hydrocephalus can result due to many causes which mainly result in altering the normal pathway of the cerebrospinal fluid. The mechanisms include a rise in the formation of the fluid from the choroid plexus or if the re-absorption of the fluid becomes altered. These two reasons are not very common and hydrocephalus is more frequently associated with a blockage in the normal circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (Govan et al 1995). Hydrocephalus mainly results due to other diseases that affect the human body. The causes may be associated with pathologies of the ventricular system or they may be due to causes outside the ventricular system. Meningitis associated with bacteria, sarcoidosis, trauma to the head, and hemorrhages within the subarachnoid space is highlighted as the causes, not within the ventricular system that results in the blockage of cerebrospinal fluid.  Tumors, colloid cysts, and formation of abscesses within the cerebellum, the formation of hematomas within the cerebellum or the brain-stem and Arnold Chiari malformation are the intra-ventricular causes that result in hydrocephalus (Davidson et al 2009).

            Hydrocephalus can affect people from all age groups. It affects infants, people in their old age as well as adults. Women with increased weight have a risk of developing this condition and these women do not present with any other underlying cause. If a young child is affected with hydrocephalus, the head increases in size. This is owing to the fact that the sutures in the child are open which provides space for the spread of the cerebrospinal fluids. In adults, the sutures are closed and it is because of this that the patient does not present with an increase in head size (Davidson et al 2009; Mitchell et al 2007).

            The diagnosis of hydrocephalus is based on examination as well as different diagnostic procedures. In young children with unclosed sutures, the changes in head circumferences and an increase in size indicate an increase in the cerebrospinal fluid. CT scan is a diagnostic test that assists in reaching a confirmative diagnosis of hydrocephalus. X-rays of the skull, ultrasound of the cranium as well as arteriography are other diagnostic procedures to detect the presence of hydrocephalus (Golden et al 2007; Kinsman et al 2007).

            The management of the condition is based upon the prevention of factors that aggravate the pathology and at the same time restore the normal circulation of cerebrospinal fluid. The pharmacological treatment includes acetazolamide owing to its usefulness in the reduction of intracranial pressure and antibiotics may also be prescribed if the presence of infection is suspected. A lumbar puncture can also be performed on regular basis to remove the extra fluid and provide relief from the problems that result due to hydrocephalus but this is not a definitive form of treatment. The underlying pathology should be treated and the obstruction should be cured by surgical means. If the flow cannot be restored in these ways, then a shunt is placed which serves the function of bypassing the point of obstruction. The cauterization of the choroid plexus may be opted for to decrease the secretion of cerebrospinal fluid. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is also a surgical procedure used for hydrocephalus for the reduction of pressure in the intracranial cavity.  Procedures opted for patients who have a risk that their vision may be affected include fenestration of the optic nerve sheath or a lumbar-peritoneal shunt (Davidson et al 2009; Golden et al 2007; Kinsman et al 2007).