Hidrocefalia comunicante

Abstract

Hydrocephalus is defined as an increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid in the cranial cavity, which produces an increase in the spaces that contain it. This is classified as congenital, acquired, communicating and non-communicating. It is called communicating hydrocephalus, when there is a blockage after the exit of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles due to a functional deterioration of the arachnoid granulations. A review of the literature and scientific evidence on the causes, classification, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of congenital hydrocephalus was made, for which data bases such as Scielo, Pubmed, Scopus were taken into account. Based on this, the case of a 6-year-old female patient from rural origin with a history of communicating hydrocephalus diagnosed in the prenatal period is presented and discussed. At three months of age, he came to consultation for macrocephaly, at 7 months of age a peritoneal ventricle drainage device was implanted, with good results. The evolution has been favorable, the bypass device works correctly and hydrocephalus has not been produced again. Although the patient has a physical disability 87%, has shown an improvement in their motility and muscle tone, with physical therapy received weekly. It was concluded that congenital communicating hydrocephalus can be diagnosed in the prenatal stage. The early surgical approach is essential to improve the prognosis of patients. Physical therapy and pneumouscular rehabilitation contribute to minimize the effects of neurodevelopment and improve the quality of life of patients. Effective prenatal care is a fundamental pillar in the identification and correction of the risk of developing congenital hydrocephalus. Genetic counseling may be useful in cases of severe ventricular dilatation in the prenatal stage.