Hydrocephalus Program
Who we are
Sixty years ago, Children's Hospital Boston became the first hospital in the world to treat children with hydrocephalus by rerouting—in a process known as shunting—excess fluid from the brain into another body cavity. In the years since, physicians in Children's Hydrocephalus Program have:
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designed and tested the next generation of shunting devices, including the externally programmable shunt
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helped refine the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques—like the landmark endoscopic third ventriculostomy procedure—to more effectively treat hydrocephalus while minimizing stress and shortening the aftercare process for patients
- taught the promising endoscopic third ventriculostomy technique and other less invasive, potentially life-saving treatments to pediatric neurosurgeons around the world
Conditions & Treatments
Did you know?
- Approximately one in 500 infants are born with hydrocephalus or acquire it shortly after birth.
- The condition can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life.
- It can result from congenital defects, injury, infection or tumors.
- Pressure in the skull can lead to headaches, irritability, vomiting, loss of motor function and seizures.
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In young children, the sutures between the skull have not yet fused. Increased pressure Click to enlarge
can cause a rapid increase in head size or bulging.
Learn more about hydrocephalus.
Innovation
A new approach to brain surgery for hydrocephalus offers an alternative to the risky standard treatment of installing a shunt. Learn how Children's neurosurgeon Benjamin Warf, MD, is working to change the delivery of care for children with hydrocephalus.
Children's ranks high
Children's Dr. Warf testifies about hydrocephalus
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