Illustration showing different effects of<unk>  on the brain and cranium The clinical presentation of<unk>  varies with chronicity. Acute dilatation of the ventricular system is more likely to manifest with the nonspecific signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure (ICP). By contrast, chronic dilatation (especially in the elderly population) may have a more insidious onset presenting, for instance, with Hakim's triad (Adams' triad). Symptoms of increased ICP may include headaches, vomiting, nausea, papilledema, sleepiness, or coma. With increased levels of CSF, there have been cases of hearing loss due to CSF creating pressure on the auditory pathways or disrupting the communication of inner ear fluid. Elevated ICP of different etiologies have been linked to sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Transient SNHL has been reported after the loss of CSF with shunt surgeries. Hearing loss is a rare but well-known sequela of procedures resulting in CSF loss. Elevated ICP may result in uncal or tonsillar herniation, with resulting life-threatening brain stem compression. Hakim's triad of gait instability, urinary incontinence, and dementia is a relatively typical manifestation of the distinct entity normal-pressure<unk> . Focal neurological deficits may also occur, such as abducens nerve palsy and vertical gaze palsy (Parinaud syndrome due to compression of the quadrigeminal plate, where the neural centers coordinating the conjugated vertical eye movement are located). The symptoms depend on the cause of the blockage, the person's age, and how much brain tissue has been damaged by the swelling. In infants with<unk> , CSF builds up in the central nervous system (CNS), causing the fontanelle (soft spot) to bulge and the head to be larger than expected. Early symptoms may also include: * Eyes that appear to gaze downward * Irritability * Seizures * Separated sutures * Sleepiness * Vomiting Symptoms that may occur in older children can include: * Brief, shrill, high-pitched cry * Changes in personality, memory, or the ability to reason or think * Changes in facial appearance and eye spacing (craniofacial disproportion) * Crossed eyes or uncontrolled eye movements * Difficulty feeding * Excessive sleepiness * Headaches * Irritability, poor temper control * Loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence) * Loss of coordination and trouble walking * Muscle spasticity (spasm) * Slow growth (child 0–5 years) * Delayed milestones * Failure to thrive * Slow or restricted movement * Vomiting Because<unk>  can injure the brain, thought and behavior may be adversely affected. Learning disabilities, including short-term memory loss, are common among those with<unk> , who tend to score better on verbal IQ than on performance IQ, which is thought to reflect the distribution of nerve damage to the brain.<unk>  that is present from birth can cause long-term complications with speech and language. Children can have issues such as nonverbal learning disorder, difficulty understanding complex and abstract concepts, difficulty retrieving stored information, and spatial/perceptual disorders. Children with<unk>  are often known in having the difficulty in understanding the concepts within conversation and tend to use words they know or have heard. However, the severity of<unk>  can differ considerably between individuals, and some are of average or above-average intelligence. Someone with<unk>  may have coordination and visual problems, or clumsiness. They may reach puberty earlier than the average child (this is called precocious puberty). About one in four develops epilepsy.
Hydrocephalus
Hypertensive encephalopathy
Porencephaly
Cerebral edema  Cerebral edema  1
Microcephaly
Acephaly
Cebocephaly
Colpocephaly