Radim Lipina, Tomáš Paleček
Hydrocephalus is a disease developing on the basis of defective creation, circulation or resorption of the cerebrospinal fluid. It is an congenital or acquired pathological status with varied etiology. The symptoms depend on the rapidity of the origin of hydrocephalus and include symptoms from acute intracranial hypertension with disturbance of consciousness in case of an acute hydrocephalus up to changes in behavior in the chronically occurred hydrocephalus. In the vast majority of patients surgical operation is necessary. The most frequently performed procedure is a shunt operation, which is however associated with high percentage of late complications. In the recent decade, endoscopic operations have been used increasingly. They are less invasive and no foreign material is implanted therein. For prevention and early recognition of complication it is necessary to monitor the patient and co-operation of the neurologist, psychologist and neurosurgeon.