Newborn cerebral cortex

A cerebral cortex in a newborn is a serious disease, manifested in an increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid, which protects the brain from damage. The seriousness of the dropsy of the brain is that it can threaten the atrophy of the brain of the newborn and increase the parameters of the skull.

Causes of developing a dropsy of the brain in a newborn

The causes of a dropsy in a newborn can be different. The disease can occur when the fetus is prenatal. You can diagnose this, for example, using ultrasound. The cerebral cortex in most cases appears due to disorders in the development of the central nervous system. In 20% of cases, fetal dropsy can be caused by intrauterine infections such as cytomegalia, herpes and others. In newborns in 80% of cases, dropsy is associated with intrauterine infections, as well as with the developmental defect of the spinal cord and brain. In the remaining 20% ​​of cases, the cause of the appearance of edema of the brain is a birth trauma, which is accompanied by hemorrhage in the brain and meningitis.

Symptoms of dropsy

The most important sign of the development of edema of the brain of the head in newborns is the rapid growth of the head circumference. Since the seams of the skull in a newborn are not yet fastened, the cranial bones part with the growing brain. It is for the early diagnosis of this serious disease that every 1-2 months the pediatrician measures the circumference of the head of the newborn. A very rapid increase in the volume of the head, as a rule, is always a sign of an overabundance of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain, which is the dropsy of the newborn.

Another symptom of this disease is an enlarged and bulging fontanel. With the normal development of the newborn, the fontanel closes by 1 year, but with a dropsy of the brain it can be open up to 2-3 years. At the same time the cranial bones become thin, the size of the forehead becomes disproportionate. On the head and face of the baby, the veins are clearly visible. When the stages are started, eye drops and the appearance of seizures are possible. The child noticeably lags behind in psychomotor development from peers, becomes apathetic and listless.

Diagnosis of the disease

Diagnosis of dropsy of the brain of the head in newborns is carried out with the help of examination of the fundus, neurosonography( investigation of the state of the brain substance of the head and the ventricular system in children under 2 years), ultrasound of the brain of the newborn, computer and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. A neurologist or pediatrician can establish a primary diagnosis.

Treatment of dropsy

Treatment of dropsy of the brain of the newborn in most cases is carried out through surgery after a thorough examination of the baby neurosurgeon, which gives contraindications and indications for surgery. Despite the fact that it is difficult for parents of such newborns to decide on an operation, however, this is a necessary procedure, because without prolonged treatment, dropsy leads to a developmental lag in the baby.