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What Is The Difference Between Hydrocephalus And Spina Bifida?
Question: What is the difference between hydrocephalus and spina bifida
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question. I must apologize for the late reply but I happen to be away traveling this week so until Sunday will have difficulties in answering quickly.
Regarding your question, they are not necessarily different, meaning that hydrocephalus can be a manifestation of spina bifida.
Hydrocephalus means build up of fluid inside the brain. It can be caused by more than one condition, many of them actually like stroke, tumor, infection, born malformations like spina bifida etc.
Spina bifida on the other hand is a specific condition, a birth defect the vertebral spinal canal where the spinal cord passes is not well formed, has a point where it is not closed leaving an opening. The consequences depend on the size of this opening, if small may have no symptoms, but if bigger the cord layers, the meninges may push out of this opening creating a sac of cerebrospinal fluid called a meningocele. In the most severe form the spinal cord may push out as well myelomeningocele. In these severe forms with myelomeningocele hydrocephalus may occur as the cerebellum, the little brain is displaced downwards disrupting the normal circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid.
So to resume, hydrocephalus is build up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain which can be due to many different causes, spina bifida is one of these possible causes.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question. I must apologize for the late reply but I happen to be away traveling this week so until Sunday will have difficulties in answering quickly.
Regarding your question, they are not necessarily different, meaning that hydrocephalus can be a manifestation of spina bifida.
Hydrocephalus means build up of fluid inside the brain. It can be caused by more than one condition, many of them actually like stroke, tumor, infection, born malformations like spina bifida etc.
Spina bifida on the other hand is a specific condition, a birth defect the vertebral spinal canal where the spinal cord passes is not well formed, has a point where it is not closed leaving an opening. The consequences depend on the size of this opening, if small may have no symptoms, but if bigger the cord layers, the meninges may push out of this opening creating a sac of cerebrospinal fluid called a meningocele. In the most severe form the spinal cord may push out as well myelomeningocele. In these severe forms with myelomeningocele hydrocephalus may occur as the cerebellum, the little brain is displaced downwards disrupting the normal circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid.
So to resume, hydrocephalus is build up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain which can be due to many different causes, spina bifida is one of these possible causes.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
ok , alright this was actually asked by my nephew who is using my phone my name is XXXXXXX his name was XXXXXXX however I told him to pose this question and I posted your link and there and told him to ask this directly to you because you would not lose your patience with him nor do I really care if he asks you a question that's what this app is for and you know my case probably better than any of the neurologists on here therefore I did not think you would mind him asking you a question thanks a lot for your help I'm going to leave this query open for one more day to make sure that he does not have any more questions for you before I close it
Brief Answer:
Thank you.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the faith in our service and in me personally.
Feel free for you or your nephew to ask more questions whenever you feel the need.
Thank you.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the faith in our service and in me personally.
Feel free for you or your nephew to ask more questions whenever you feel the need.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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