Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about hydrocephalous. And if you want to follow along with written notes on this topic,

you can follow along at zero definals.com slash hydrocephalus or in the neurology section of the

zero to finals pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

Hydrocephlets describes cerebrospinal fluid or CSF,

building up excessively within the brain and the spinal cord.

This is the result of either overproduction of CSF

or a problem with draining and absorbing CSF.

Let's talk about the normal CSF physiology.

There are four ventricles in the brain, the two lateral ventricles, the third ventricle and

the fourth ventricle. The ventricles contain CSF. The CSF provides a cushion for the brain tissue.

CSF is created in the four corroid plexus,

with one coroid plexus in each ventricle.

It's also created by the walls of the ventricles.

CSF is absorbed into the venous system by the arachnoid granulations.

Let's talk about some of the congenital causes of hydrocephalus.

The most common cause of hydrocephal is aqueductal stenosis,

resulting in insufficient drainage of CSF. The cerebral acroduct that connects the third and the fourth ventricle is stenosed, or narrowed.

This blocks the normal flow of CSF out of the third ventricle, causing CSF to build up in the lateral and the third ventricles.

Other causes include arachnoid cysts that can block the outflow of CSF if they're large enough.

Arnold Chiari malformation, which is where the cerebellum herniates downwards through the

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