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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Possible hydrocephalus?
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Possible hydrocephalus?
by Marie6, Jun 23, 2002 12:00AM
I have an 11-yr old daughter with an intraventricular brain tumor. She has had surgies and radiotherapy. Approx 3cm of tumor is left. My question concerns the MRI report states the lateral ventricles are large. At one point the report indicated an increase in size although last 2 scans have been stable. She has headaches (cause undetermined). No nausea or vomitting. Eye exam is fine. She has cognitive deficits due to tumor and surgery (ADHD, memory, learning etc). Do you think additional testing would be warranted. Her doctors are not concerned, but we are concerned the CSF is obstructed by the tumor and she may get addition brain injury. Thank you for you help.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Jun 24, 2002 12:00AM
Very sorry to hear about your daughter's medical problems. Unfortunately I cannot comment accurately on the need for futher evaluation as I have not examined your daughter or personally reviewed her MRI and clinical history. Also, the presence of enlarged ventricles does not necessarily mean there is hydrocephalus.
Having said that, the location of her tumor certainly places her at high risk for the development of hydrocephalus. So if the possibility of hydrocephalus is a concern (which can be clinically manifest as headaches, learning disabilities, etc...), there is special testing that can be done to look at the flow of the CSF. Cine MRI is one test that we do here at the clinic and there are others performed at other centers such as CT contrast ventriculogram. Talk to your doctors about your concerns, then consider a second opinion by another pediatric neurosurgeon. Bring all of the films (not just reports) for them to review, especially the ones around the time when an increase in the size of the vents was reported. If you are in the area, Dr. Luciano is our peds NSGY here who specializes in hydrocephalus. Best of luck.
Having said that, the location of her tumor certainly places her at high risk for the development of hydrocephalus. So if the possibility of hydrocephalus is a concern (which can be clinically manifest as headaches, learning disabilities, etc...), there is special testing that can be done to look at the flow of the CSF. Cine MRI is one test that we do here at the clinic and there are others performed at other centers such as CT contrast ventriculogram. Talk to your doctors about your concerns, then consider a second opinion by another pediatric neurosurgeon. Bring all of the films (not just reports) for them to review, especially the ones around the time when an increase in the size of the vents was reported. If you are in the area, Dr. Luciano is our peds NSGY here who specializes in hydrocephalus. Best of luck.
