ABSTRACT
The term ‘hydrocephalus’ relates to the presence of an excessive
amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which may cause an
increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) with or without
associated abnormal enlargement of the cerebral ventricles.
Rather than being a single pathological disease, hydrocephalus
can result from a variety of pathological processes or insults that
end with an imbalance between the production and absorption
of CSF. Numerous classifications and categories exist with two
widely used functional subdivisions being obstructive (where
there is an anatomical obstruction to flow of CSF within the
ventricles) and communicating hydrocephalus (where there is
either presumed blockage with the circulation of CSF in the
subarachnoid space or failure to absorb CSF).
