This video shows Fetal Hydrocephaly with a Pregnancy of about 19 weeks.
Hydrocephalus is typically detected through a prenatal ultrasound between 15 and 35 weeks gestation. But here in this case fetus is of about 19 weeks.
It can be present at birth (congenital) or occur after birth (acquired). Pediatric hydrocephalus can be damaging if left untreated, but with early diagnosis and treatment, children with hydrocephalus can often lead normal healthy lives.
Traditionally, fetal hydrocephalus has been detected prenatally using sonographic measurements of the enlarged ventricles. The most useful measurement is the transverse atrial width, which is normally between 4-8 mm with a normal upper limit of 10 mm.
Fetal hydrocephalus often refers to an extension of fetal ventriculomegaly where the ventricular dilatation is more severe. It is usually defined when the fetal lateral ventricular diameter is greater than 15 mm.
Fetal Hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain,” is a condition associated with a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in or around the brain. It could be diagnosed even before a baby is born, and maybe treated using minimally-invasive surgical techniques.
Hydrocephalus occurs when CSF builds up within the ventricles of the brain, causing them to grow progressively larger. Benign macrocrania of infancy is a more common condition in which a baby can have mild ventriculomegaly and a large head, but not hydrocephalus.
Antenatal ultrasound. Will demonstrate enlarged ventricles with variable degrees of parenchymal thinning. The choroid may be seen floating.
It's normal for a baby's head to grow a lot during the first year. But with congenital hydrocephalus, the head may grow faster than the normal rate for a baby's height and weight. The condition may cause the soft spot (fontanelle) on your baby's head to feel firm or bulge out.
Hydrocephalus merely denotes an increase in the volume of CSF and thus of the cerebral ventricles (ventriculomegaly). Hydrocephalus is typically detected through a prenatal ultrasound between 15 and 35 weeks gestation.
True fetal hydrocephalus has a variety of causes. The most common form of isolated, obstructive hydrocephalus is so-called “aqueductal stenosis,” which is the blockage of CSF passage through the aqueduct of Sylvius. It accounts for up to 20 percent of cases of fetal hydrocephalus.
Causes of hydrocephalus include spina bifida: when a baby's spinal cord does not fully develop. aqueductal stenosis: when CSF flow between the ventricles inside the brain is blocked. infection during pregnancy.
Children often have a full life span if hydrocephalus is caught early and treated. Infants who undergo surgical treatment to reduce the excess fluid in the brain and survive to age 1 will not have a shortened life expectancy due to hydrocephalus.
Fetal ultrasound is the most accurate method to diagnose spina bifida in your baby before delivery. Ultrasound can be performed during the first trimester (11 to 14 weeks) and second trimester (18 to 22 weeks). Spina bifida can be accurately diagnosed during the second-trimester ultrasound scan.
Hydrocephalus can be detected using a normal ultrasound examination, which is typically performed throughout a woman's pregnancy. During ultrasound screening, the technician may see pockets of fluid in the developing brain, indicating enlarged ventricles and the possible presence of hydrocephalus.
If no complication happens during intervention for hydrocephalus, spontaneous vaginal delivery is a safe way of delivery for both mother's and newborn's well-being. C/S should be saved for obstetrical indications and can be conducted under epidural anesthesia if the intracranial pressure is kept under control.
Unlike forms of hydrocephalus caused by increased CSF in the ventricles, the external form involves fluid outside the brain, usually does not require any treatment, and typically resolves itself over time.
It's estimated that taking folic acid supplements before you conceive and while you're pregnant may prevent up to 7 out of 10 cases of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
Early signs of hydrocephalus in infants include:
bulging fontanel, which is the soft spot on the surface of the skull.
a rapid increase in head circumference.
eyes that are fixed downward.
seizures.
extreme fussiness.
vomiting.
excessive sleepiness.
poor feeding.

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