Thanks to a remarkable surgical intervention supported by state-of-the-art technologies as it helped a two-year-old girl with an extreme form of hydrocephalus.
The two-year-old girl could someday lead a more normal life.
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is an accumulation of the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Genetic abnormalities and infections are the main causes, which are treated with shunts.
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‘A two-year-old girl with an extreme form of hydrocephalus could someday lead a more normal life with the help of remarkable surgical intervention. Using virtual modeling, 3D technology and after a 12-hour operation, doctors were able to open the kid's abnormally large skull and reconstruct it to closer to normal dimensions.’
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The child, who underwent two operations at CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital in Montreal, including a total cranial vault reconstruction, could not even sit upright because of the size and weight of her head. Her brain was being compressed by an excess of cerebrospinal fluid.
Using virtual modeling and three-dimensional technology supported by a 3D printer, and after a 12-hour operation, surgeons were able to open the child's abnormally large skull and reconstruct it to closer to normal dimensions. Prior to the procedure, her skull contained three liters of cerebrospinal fluid, while the normal amount is 150 milliliters. To achieve this amazing feat, the team made a detailed model of the girl's skull, numbering the sections so they could later put them back in place, somewhat like a puzzle.
![Neurosurgeons Challenged to Eliminate All Infant Deaths from Hydrocephalus by 2030]( "Neurosurgeons Challenged to Eliminate All Infant Deaths from Hydrocephalus by 2030")
Every year, thousands of babies worldwide die from untreated hydrocephalus, a condition in which the head swells from a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid.
"Our little patient suffered from an enlarged skull, otherwise known as extreme macrocrania," said Dr. Alexander Weil, a pediatric neurosurgeon (MD, FRCSC, FAANS, FACS) at CHU Sainte-Justine. "If we hadn't operated, she would have continued to be weighed down and immobilized by the size and weight of her head. This surgery gives us hope that she will now be able to develop and live more normally." Added Dr. Daniel Borsuk, the hospital center's head of plastic surgery (MD, MBA, FRCSC, FACS): "The collaborative efforts of an experienced multidisciplinary team, which made it possible to successfully carry out this complex surgery."
The surgeons expressed their heartfelt thanks to all the health professionals who took part, as well as to the child's family for placing their trust in the medical team.
Source: Newswise
Neurosurgeons Challenged to Eliminate All Infant Deaths from Hydrocephalus by 2030
Every year, thousands of babies worldwide die from untreated hydrocephalus, a condition in which the head swells from a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid.
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"Our little patient suffered from an enlarged skull, otherwise known as extreme macrocrania," said Dr. Alexander Weil, a pediatric neurosurgeon (MD, FRCSC, FAANS, FACS) at CHU Sainte-Justine. "If we hadn't operated, she would have continued to be weighed down and immobilized by the size and weight of her head. This surgery gives us hope that she will now be able to develop and live more normally." Added Dr. Daniel Borsuk, the hospital center's head of plastic surgery (MD, MBA, FRCSC, FACS): "The collaborative efforts of an experienced multidisciplinary team, which made it possible to successfully carry out this complex surgery."
The surgeons expressed their heartfelt thanks to all the health professionals who took part, as well as to the child's family for placing their trust in the medical team.
Source: Newswise
Infection-Caused Hydrocephalus Can Be Treated in Two Approaches
Reducing the risk of infection is the key to treating hydrocephalus. Shunting and pressure reduction in the brain are the two ways to treat hydrocephalus.
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 New Guidelines for the Treatment of Pediatric HydrocephalusNew guidelines of the current treatments for pediatric hydrocephalus as well as up-to-date evidence-based recommendations have been published in the Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group. | Advertisement
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