Word parts
What it means
A condition in which cerebrospinal fluid collects in the brain because it is blocked, made too fast, or not absorbed. The extra fluid raises pressure inside the skull. In a baby, whose skull bones have not joined, the head grows too fast and the soft spot (fontanel) bulges; in older children and adults, pressure signs such as headache and vomiting come first. It is often treated with a shunt that drains the fluid to the abdomen.
For the nurse
In infants, measure head circumference at each visit and feel the fontanel. In a child with a shunt, teach the family to report headache, vomiting, sleepiness or irritability, which can mean the shunt is blocked.
At a glance
| Spanish | hidrocefalia |
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Related terms
hydr/o
A word part that means water or fluid.
intracranial pressure
The pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.
cephal/o
A word part that means head.
neural tube
The hollow structure in an early embryo that develops into the brain and spinal cord.