{"id":2977,"date":"2026-06-26T09:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T06:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blionas-neurosurgery.com\/pathiseis\/ydrokefalia\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T11:01:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T08:01:50","slug":"hydrocephalus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blionas-neurosurgery.com\/en\/conditions\/hydrocephalus\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrocephalus"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What hydrocephalus is<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

The brain floats within cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which protects it. Fluid surrounds the brain beneath the skull and also fills spaces deep within it called the ventricles. It is produced inside the brain and circulates outwards, where it is absorbed by specialized structures.<\/p>

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Hydrocephalus is the accumulation of more of this fluid than there should be<\/strong> \u2014 either because it does not circulate properly, because too much is produced, or because it is not absorbed quickly enough.<\/strong> The excess fluid presses on the brain and can cause significant symptoms: difficulty with thinking, difficulty with movement and walking, and, if left untreated, it may be life-threatening.<\/p>

Dr. Blionas<\/strong> managed cases of hydrocephalus in young patients as a consultant neurosurgeon at Mitera and Hygeia Hospitals.<\/p>

Diagnosis<\/strong><\/p>

Beyond standard imaging (brain MRI and CT), diagnosis may involve a specialized CSF flow MRI<\/strong>, which demonstrates the circulation of fluid from the ventricles outwards and reveals any obstruction to it.<\/p>

Lumbar puncture<\/strong><\/p>

The most informative test in the assessment of communicating hydrocephalus \u2014 in particular normal pressure hydrocephalus \u2014 is the lumbar puncture.<\/p>

The spine houses the spinal cord and, lower down, the nerve roots, all of which lie within the same fluid that surrounds the brain, and for the same reason: protection. Spinal and cerebral CSF communicate freely, forming in practice a single reservoir at approximately the same pressure. Measuring the pressure in the lumbar spine therefore gives us a reliable estimate of the pressure within the head.<\/p>

A lumbar puncture \u2014 the introduction of a needle into the CSF in the lumbar spine \u2014 serves two purposes here:<\/p>