Hydrocephalus

Question: Hydrocephalus? Is there a difinitive test to check for hydrocephalus in toy dogs? I called several vets and one stated that an xray is the first course of action. If I spend 400.00 on an ultrasound, will it tell me if my puppy has water on the brain?

Answer: To definitively diagnose hydrocephalus, you need to be able to visualize excess fluid in the brain which cannot be seen on x-rays. An ultrasound can be used if the dog has an open fontanelle (soft squishy spot on top of the head) or an MRI or CT of the brain are used. Here's a little more info on hydrocephalus. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content…

Question: What are some websites that deal solely with hydrocephalus? The only one I can find is the Hydrocephalus Association. Everything is part of a larger medical, social, etc site. I've tried googling and all I can find are like sections of larger sites. The support groups are usually a part of forums or again larger sites.

Answer: You have found one and it sounds like a good one. Why don't you just google "Hydrocephalus" and "hydrocephalus support groups" etc. for many links .

Question: Does a condition of hydrocephalus disqualify you from all military service? My boyfriend is talking about joining the military. Does a condition of hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and having a shunt in his brain disqualify him from all branches of military service?

Answer: Current or history of retained central nervous system shunts of all kinds (V45.2) are disqualifying.

Question: What type of hydrocephalus would I probably have? I know hydrocephalus can be caused by either something blocking the exit flow of CSF, something causing it to not get absorbed right, or if your body is simply making too much CSF. So if you end up with hydrocephalus from head trauma which type would you probably have?

Answer: Would this help? Normal pressure hydrocephalus can occur in people of any age, but it is most common in the elderly population. Normal pressure hydrocephalus may result from: * A subarachnoid hemorrhage * Head trauma * Infection * Tumor * Complications of surgery. However, many people develop normal pressure hydrocephalus even when none of these factors are present. In these cases, the cause of the disorder is unknown.

Question: What are some herbs to treat Hydrocephalus? My grandfather has had hydrocephalus (water on the brain) for over a year and has been drained several times. He can't have a shunt implanted because of a weak heart. I have heard that mugwort is used to treat hydrocephalus but can't seem to get any information on it. Do you know how this herb can influence it? What are some other herbs we can look at to improve the condition?

Answer: Cranial Sacral Therapy. I personally know people who's hydrocephalus has gone away completely! They are babies, but I know this is safe for the elderly too. I would highly recommend it. For a therapist in your area you can try upledger.com Good luck and best wishes!

Question: Can Bulimia While Pregnant Cause Spina bifida or Hydrocephalus? A family member had her baby almost two months ago and he was born with a hole in his back. They've now realized he has Hydrocephalus. Assuming it was caused by the Spinabifida. She has been bulimic for a while so.. we're curious whether it was a cause or played a part in this. There is no family history of Spinabifida or Hydrocephalus.

Answer: It is hard to tell if the bulimia caused the conditions. Spina bifida is what is called a neural tube defect and occurs in the first few weeks of pregnancy for unknown reasons. That is why it is so important for women considering getting pregnant to take vitamins with folic acid. It is proven to reduce the chance of neural tube defects, and those first few weeks of pregnancy is when the folic acid is most effective. Once you find out you're pregnant it's often too late. Good luck to your family member.

Question: Does anyone know of treatment options for a kitten with Hydrocephalus? my kitten has hydrocephalus, been on omeprazole (sporatically) and prednisone. Both adjusted to his weight...now he has developed tremors. Is this the disease or the meds? Are there other options for treatment? I have hand raised this kitten since birth, he is happy, he isn't in pain. If the pain was there, I would put him down. But with the help of my vet and the neurology vet clinic we have come up with this option to control the level of fluid. I was just wondering on other options. Putting him to sleep, is not an option at this point.

Answer: Affected kittens may not thrive as well as their littermates. Symptoms vary according to the amount of excess fluid in the skull. In severe cases, the skull appears enlarged with a prominent dome or forehead and exceptionally thin bones and the excessive fluid causes brain damage (which may be progressive). As the condition progresses, the pressure on the brain leads to blindness, convulsions, unusual behaviour e.g. compulsive circling and loss of control of limbs. In mild cases where there are minimal or no neurological symptoms, the condition may resolve itself during the first few weeks after birth. The closure of the fontanelle has simply been delayed a little. Kittens with medium brain damage should be assessed for quality of life and likelihood of finding homes. Severely affected kittens must be euthanized.

Question: Is there anyone familiar with the term Hydrocephalus? Or know anyone that has experienced this? Hi, My husband just recently found out that he has fluid on his brain. Well I have been reading about this and it is called hydrocephalus is there anyone that is familiar with this term. Or know anyone that has been through something like this. My husband will be meeting with a Neurosurgeon soon and from what I hear there might be surgery involved.

Answer: My sister has hydrocephalus. Your husband will indeed likely have a device called a shunt placed in his brain to help his body regulate the amount of fluid in his head and prevent build-up. It will do this by draining fluid through a tube that will run under his skin down into his abdomen. This will prevent the pressure in his head from increasing to dangerous levels. It sounds scary, but he may be able to live a normal life if there aren't complications. There is no cure for hydrocephalus, and this treatment remains the only option. I am leading a swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco to raise funds and awareness for the non-profit Hydrocephalus Association. You should check them out (just do a google search) because they do lots of support/advocacy/education work and might be helpful to you. I have a blog, too, if you want to know more about my sister and our efforts, or learn more about hydrocephalus: http://teamhydro.blogs.gabrielslife.org/

Question: What is hydrocephalus and how does it affect those afflicted? Please don't give me a long scientific or medical desccription. Used a language a 13 year old could understand.

Answer: It means that the fluid that surrounds your brain in its skull has built up and is putting pressure on the brain. It's not a good thing but can be treated with a shunt. The webmd site has easy to understand explanations of health problems

Question: what are the symptoms of hydrocephalus? My daughter went for her 4 month appt today and her head went from the 45th percentile at 2 months to the 85th percentile. She is going to have an unltrasound to check for hydrocephalus. However she has no other symptoms at all. Does anyone know how likely it is to have hydrocephalus but have no other symptoms but the enlarged head?

Answer: I have hydrocephalus. In infants and young children, the symptoms are headaches, vomiting, sunset eyes, among other things. For more symptoms, I would look up hydrocephalus. Then if she's having these other symptoms, ask your doctor to see a neurologist and neurosurgeon.