ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Shunts have significantly improved the prognosis of people with hydrocephalus, and recently third ventriculostomy has increasingly become a preferred successful treatment for an increasing number of cases of obstructive hydrocephalus. Nevertheless, even with surgical treatment, this remains a lifelong condition, which in many cases is associated with a variety of cognitive deficits (1). Hydrocephalus can have a significant impact upon the developing brain, resulting in the distortion and tearing of blood vessels and neural fibers, displacement of adjacent brain structures, a disruption to myelination (2), and tissue damage and swelling within the periventricular white matter during the acute stages (3). Motor and visual impairments are strongly associated with hydrocephalus, as enlarged ventricles damage the nearby optic nerves and motor pathways (see chap. 1).
