Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?

Benign infantile hydrocephalus, one of the most common causes of macrocephaly, is a self-limiting clinical condition thought to be caused by the immaturity of the arachnoid villi responsible for the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. In cases with the findings of an increase in head circumference an...

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Main Authors: Cem Cahit Barışık, Fırat Erdoğan, Mustafa Çiftçi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2022-05-01
Series:Çocuk Dergisi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/233D41DFEFC44895AC02A984F972BFEB
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author Cem Cahit Barışık
Fırat Erdoğan
Mustafa Çiftçi
author_facet Cem Cahit Barışık
Fırat Erdoğan
Mustafa Çiftçi
author_sort Cem Cahit Barışık
collection DOAJ
description Benign infantile hydrocephalus, one of the most common causes of macrocephaly, is a self-limiting clinical condition thought to be caused by the immaturity of the arachnoid villi responsible for the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. In cases with the findings of an increase in head circumference and large anterior fontanel, the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid returns to normal with the maturation of the arachnoid villi over time and the findings begin to regress at around 18 to 24 months of age. The disease resolves spontaneously without leaving any neurological sequelae. Therefore, although the increase in head circumference causes anxiety in the physicians and parents, further examinations should be performed only in children whose mental motor development is delayed or whose enlargement in the subarachnoid space does not improve by the age of 2 years. Our aim in presenting this case report is to emphasize that if “benign infantile hydrocephalus” is considered in children with macrocephaly and if the neurological examination is normal and there is no neurodevelopmental retardation, close follow-up of the child will be sufficient and further investigations are not necessary. Our case was a patient whose head circumference was within normal limits at birth and in the first three months, and increased rapidly during follow-up to >97 percentile. As a result of the examinations, it was evaluated as benign infantile hydrocephalus.
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spelling doaj-art-d3544f0cd50c42c69ca55a8a98924ac82025-08-20T01:51:06ZengIstanbul University PressÇocuk Dergisi1308-84912022-05-01221717410.26650/jchild.2022.865994123456Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?Cem Cahit Barışık0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3540-6492Fırat Erdoğan1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1123-4729Mustafa Çiftçi2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9351-7102İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi, Istanbul, Turkiyeİstanbul Medeniyet Üniversitesi, İstanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi, Istanbul, TurkiyeBenign infantile hydrocephalus, one of the most common causes of macrocephaly, is a self-limiting clinical condition thought to be caused by the immaturity of the arachnoid villi responsible for the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. In cases with the findings of an increase in head circumference and large anterior fontanel, the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid returns to normal with the maturation of the arachnoid villi over time and the findings begin to regress at around 18 to 24 months of age. The disease resolves spontaneously without leaving any neurological sequelae. Therefore, although the increase in head circumference causes anxiety in the physicians and parents, further examinations should be performed only in children whose mental motor development is delayed or whose enlargement in the subarachnoid space does not improve by the age of 2 years. Our aim in presenting this case report is to emphasize that if “benign infantile hydrocephalus” is considered in children with macrocephaly and if the neurological examination is normal and there is no neurodevelopmental retardation, close follow-up of the child will be sufficient and further investigations are not necessary. Our case was a patient whose head circumference was within normal limits at birth and in the first three months, and increased rapidly during follow-up to >97 percentile. As a result of the examinations, it was evaluated as benign infantile hydrocephalus.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/233D41DFEFC44895AC02A984F972BFEBmacrocephalybenigninfant
spellingShingle Cem Cahit Barışık
Fırat Erdoğan
Mustafa Çiftçi
Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?
Çocuk Dergisi
macrocephaly
benign
infant
title Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?
title_full Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?
title_fullStr Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?
title_full_unstemmed Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?
title_short Benign Infantile Hydrocephalus: In Which Child, When Should We Think, What Should We Do?
title_sort benign infantile hydrocephalus in which child when should we think what should we do
topic macrocephaly
benign
infant
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/233D41DFEFC44895AC02A984F972BFEB
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