Cerebrospinal fluid evacuation for hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus is a neurological pathology in adults or children. Acute, chronic or at normal pressure, it manifests itself by an increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid, transparent fluid in which the brain and spinal cord bathe. In normal pressure hydrocephalus, a lumbar puncture through a puncture in the back allows cerebrospinal fluid to be removed from the space surrounding the spinal cord. This may have the effect of improving symptoms. The punctures may be repeated or the placement of an internal ventricular shunt to evacuate excess fluid chronically is possible. Other ways are possible to drain spinal fluid: - The external ventricular drain (EVD) is a thin tube that is inserted through the skin and then the skull to a brain cavity filled with fluid called the ventricle. - A shunt is a narrow, smooth and flexible tube. It has a valve system that regulates the pressure of the CSF and prevents fluid from returning to the ventricles. - Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (VETV) is a procedure in which the surgeon makes an opening in the cerebral third ventricle and inserts a tube there that allows the CSF to bypass a blockage.