Posttraumatic Hydrocephalus in the Neonate and Infant

This chapter presents a review of the diagnosis and management of posttraumatic ventricular enlargement in the very young child. Although it is well known that ventricular enlargement can occur after head trauma, the etiology of this phenomenon, its therapy, and its prognosis are quite variable. A discussion of this type of hydrocephalus should consider those processes which cause a permanent or transient disruption of normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics as well as those which cause secondary ventricular enlargement as a result of cortical (neuronal) loss. The management of the very young child who develops ventricular enlargement after a head injury must be individualized, giving consideration to the mechanism of the initial injury, the initial clinical findings and radiographic studies, the subsequent clinical course, and the results of follow-up radiographic studies and ancillary tests.