Also called: Water on the brain
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is the buildup of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Normally, this fluid cushions your brain. When you have too much, though, it puts harmful pressure on your brain.
Hydrocephalus can be congenital, or present at birth. Causes include genetic problems and problems with how the fetus develops. An unusually large head is the main sign of congenital hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus can also happen after birth. This is called acquired hydrocephalus. It can occur at any age. Causes can include head injuries, strokes, infections, tumors, and bleeding in the brain. Symptoms include:
- Headache
- Vomiting and nausea
- Blurry vision
- Balance problems
- Bladder control problems
- Thinking and memory problems
Hydrocephalus can permanently damage the brain, causing problems with physical and mental development. If untreated, it is usually fatal. With treatment, many people lead normal lives with few limitations. Treatment usually involves surgery to insert a shunt. A shunt is a flexible but sturdy plastic tube. The shunt moves the cerebrospinal fluid to another area of the body where it can be absorbed. Medicine and rehabilitation therapy can also help.
It sits within Brain and Nerves and Genetics/Birth Defects.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Hydrocephalus
256 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Efficacy of Combined Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy and Choroid Plexus Cauterization in Treatment of HydrocephalusAssiut University
- Natural History of Treated Neurocysticercosis and Long-Term OutcomesNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- CEUS Evaluation of Hydrocephalus in Neonates and InfantsChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Assessment of CSF Shunt Flow During Activities of Daily Living and Sleep With a Thermal Measurement DeviceRhaeos, Inc.
- Magnetic Resonance Elastography in HydrocephalusDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- Role of Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy Imanagement of Hydrocephalus in Pediatric Age Group; Clinical and Surgical OutcomeSohag University
Research already completed
- Hyperfine Portable MRI in Hydrocephalus and Other Conditions Prompting Outpatient Brain ImagingUniversity of Pennsylvania
- Combined Flow and Pressure Study of Craniospinal DynamicCentre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens
- Change in Cognition and Frailty After Shunt Surgery in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH)Oslo University Hospital
- Flow MRI in Normal Pressure HydrocephalusCentre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- HydrocephalusNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- HydrocephalusMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Diagnosis and Tests
- Brain MRI (Head MRI)Radiological Society of North America
- Head CT (Computed Tomography, CAT Scan)Radiological Society of North America
- Ultrasound: Head (For Parents)Nemours Foundation
Treatments and Therapies
- Types of Shunt Systems for Hydrocephalus: What to KnowHydrocephalus Association
Genetics
- Dandy-Walker malformation: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- L1 syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Megalencephaly-polymicrogyria-polydactyly-hydrocephalus syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Statistics and Research
- 20 Powerful Facts about HydrocephalusHydrocephalus Association
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: HydrocephalusNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Hydrocephalus. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Hydrocephalus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.