%0 Journal Article
%T Review of "Pediatric Hydrocephalus" by Guiseppe Cinalli, Wirginia Maixner, Christian Sainte-Rose (editors)
%A Hazel C Jones
%J Fluids and Barriers of the CNS
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1743-8454-3-3
%X Disorders of the central nervous system can be very distressing at any time of life, but particularly so when they affect children. Hydrocephalus is the most common problem encountered by pediatric neurosurgeons and is a disorder for which there is no absolute cure. Hydrocephalus can be broadly defined as enlargement of the cerebral ventricles with an excess of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It has many different causes but the most usual are obstructions of various types in the CSF flow pathway.Progress in basic biomedical research has provided new and compelling evidence for a fundamental role of the CSF in promoting and maintaining brain function. It is important during development where it provides vital growth factors and signals for the control of neurogenesis [1]. It has essential roles in the mature brain for homeostatic control of the brain fluid environment [2], for neuroendocrine signaling [3] and for migration of neuroblasts to the olfactory bulb [4]. CSF function is also very important in the aging brain, which is prone to neurological disease and age-related dementia [5,6]. It follows, therefore, that when normal CSF flow and chemical composition are disturbed in hydrocephalus, there are adverse effects in the brain. The subtleties of the consequences of abnormal CSF flow and composition are only beginning to be understood and there is no doubt that much more will be revealed in the future. These facts make it imperative that patients with hydrocephalus are diagnosed and treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Because of the nature of the condition, treatment for hydrocephalus is necessarily directed towards alleviation of the signs and symptoms by neurosurgical methods. Optimal outcome also requires appropriate patient management throughout life.'Pediatric Hydrocephalus' is a specialist book written by clinicians for clinicians. It is directed at neurosurgeons, pediatric neurologists and pediatricians and will also be of interest to radiologists, path
%U http://www.fluidsbarrierscns.com/content/3/1/3