INCIDENCE OF SURGERY PATIENTS WITH CONGENITAL HYDROCEPHALUS FOR A THREE-YEAR PERIOD
Keywords:
congenital hydrocephalus, surgical treatment, nursing careAbstract
Hydrocephalus is a medical condition characterized by the dilation of the brain ventricles or cavities with excess cerebrospinal fluid, i.e. a set of conditions characterized by an increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid. Early diagnosis, most often made through prenatal ultrasound or immediately after birth, is crucial for timely initiation of therapy and minimizing long-term consequences.This condition leads to dilation of the ventricles, increased intracranial pressure, and potential damage to brain structure and function.
Objective: The aim of this paper is to present the number of patients diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus, by gender and age, for three consecutive years.
Materials and methods: The data presented are taken from the State Statistical Office as well as data from the Clinic for Neurosurgery - Skopje, for a period of three years, from 2022 to 2024. Patients are divided by gender and age, shown in the appropriate graphs.
Results: At the Clinic for Neurosurgery - Skopje, a total of 43 children with congenital hydrocephalus were treated, in 2022 a total of 16 children, in 2023 14 children and in 2024 13 children. Of the total number of children admitted, in 2022, 13 children were male, 3 were female, in 2023, 9 children were male, and 5 were female and in 2024, 8 were male and 5 were female. By age, for 2022, 3 children were aged 0-12 months, and 13 children were aged 1-14 years, for 2023, 6 children were aged 0-12 months, and 8 children were aged 1-14 years and for 2024, 3 children were aged 0-12 months, 13 were aged 1-14 years.
Conclusion: Congenital hydrocephalus is a serious neurological condition that requires early diagnosis and timely treatment to prevent damage to brain function and to allow optimal development of the child. Despite the difficult clinical picture, modern medicine provides effective solutions, primarily through surgical placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt or performing an endoscopic third ventriculostomy depending on the individual clinical picture of the patient.
References
Abebe, M. S., Seyoum, G., Emamu, B., & Teshome, D. (2022). Congenital Hydrocephalus and Associated Risk Factors: An Institution-Based Case-Control Study, Dessie Town, North East Ethiopia. Pediatric health, medicine and therapeutics, 13, 175–182. https://doi.org/10.2147/PHMT.S364447
Chen, B., Zhang, Y., Jiang, Y., Mei, W., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Low- and negative-pressure hydrocephalus in children, clinical features, treatment, prognosis and proposed mechanisms. Frontiers in pediatrics, 13, 1602767. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1602767
Deng, X., Chen, Y., Duan, Q., Ding, J., Wang, Z., Wang, J., Chen, X., Zhou, L., & Zhao, L. (2025). Genetic and molecular mechanisms of hydrocephalus. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, 17, 1512455. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2024.1512455
Emery, S. P., Qaderi, S., Northam, W., & Shamshirsaz, A. (2025). Prenatal intervention in congenital obstructive hydrocephalus: Rationale, eligibility, and techniques. Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology, 102, 102647. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2025.102647
Groteklaes, A., Dresbach, T., Born, M., Mueller, A., & Sabir, H. (2025). Case Report: Ultralow-field portable MRI improves the diagnosis of congenital hydrocephalus. Frontiers in pediatrics, 13, 1463314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1463314
Jakopin, N. E., Lanjewar, S. N., Garzon, A., Gross, P., Holubkov, R., Moghekar, A., Preston, J., Romanoski, M., Shannon, C. N., Tamber, M. S., Van der Willigen, T., Sloan, M., Chau, M. J., & Koschnitzky, J. E. (2025). The Hydrocephalus Association Patient-Powered Interactive Engagement Registry (HAPPIER): Design and Initial Baseline Report. Clinical epidemiology, 17, 567–579. https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S526203
Kahle, K. T., Klinge, P. M., Koschnitzky, J. E., Kulkarni, A. V., MacAulay, N., Robinson, S., Schiff, S. J., & Strahle, J. M. (2024). Paediatric hydrocephalus. Nature reviews. Disease primers, 10(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-024-00519-9
Kundishora, A. J., Bond, K., Rosenfeld, M., Land, S. D., Gallagher, T., Reynolds, T. A., Gebb, J. S., Adzick, N. S., Flanders, T. M., & Heuer, G. G. (2025). Detailed analysis of hydrocephalus patterns and associated variables in patients after open fetal repair and postnatal myelomeningocele/myeloschisis closure. Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 41(1), 160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-025-06819-z
Liu, X. Y., Song, X., Czosnyka, M., Robba, C., Czosnyka, Z., Summers, J. L., Yu, H. J., Gao, G. Y., Smielewski, P., Guo, F., Pang, M. J., & Ming, D. (2024). Congenital hydrocephalus: a review of recent advances in genetic etiology and molecular mechanisms. Military Medical Research, 11(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-024-00560-5
Robinson S. (2025). Childhood-onset Hydrocephalus. Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.), 31(3), 850–864. https://doi.org/10.1212/cont.0000000000001578
Tomita, Y., Adachi, Y., Tamesa, N., & Date, I. (2025). Unveiling the Possibility of Subclinically Present Congenital Hydrocephalus Triggered by Thalamic Hemorrhage in Late-onset Years: A Case Report. NMC case report journal, 12, 209–213. https://doi.org/10.2176/jns-nmc.2024-0233
Van Rijen, S. R. M., Groenendaal, F., Han, K. S., Tataranno, M. L., & Woerdeman, P. A. (2025). Managing hydrocephalus in 54 infants under 3 months of age: A single center cohort study. Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 41(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-025-06769-6
