entry #2 Hydrocephalus in children

Hydrocephalus...

What is hydrocephalus? What does it look like in children? As scary as it may seem, apparently most doctors will tell you that it is very common in the neurology field. every wonder why some children have slightly larger heads than other kids. have you ever made fun of a kid on the playground or out in public because they were "big heads"? some children have what neurologists call hydrocephalus is defined by oxford dictionaries as a condition in which fluid accumulates in the brain, typically in young children,enlarging the head and sometime causing brain damage. What does this mean for children who have it? some kids often have balance issues, motor skills aren't often the greatest. some have difficulties learning to speak, or learn to do things that children the same age are saying and doing. often times the liquid in the brain often pushes the brain outwards causing pressure. this can also lead to headaches dizziness, and even seizures in the children who have been diagnosed with hydrocephalus. neurosurgeons often need to put in a "shunt", within the brain of diagnosed children; to relieve the brain of some of the liquid. 

below is a picture of a shunt. basically what a shunt does is give the brain a way to get the liquid out of the brain. allowing the brain to reduce back to a somewhat normal size.