Congenital hydrocephalus caused by exposure to low level X-radiation at early gestational stage in mice.

Hydrocephalus is a severe and often lethal birth defect in humans resulting from excess accumulation off cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cranial vault, accompanied by enlargement of the head, prominence of the forehead and atrophy of the brain. A wide variety of teratogenic procedures have been used to obtain congenital hydrocephalus in laboratory animals. Radiation, infections, trypan blue, hypervitaminosis A, salisylates and nutritional deficiencies were considered as the teratogens. Several investigators induced congenital hydrocephalus following irradiation of pregnant animals. The purpose off this study is to elucidate the pathogenesis off congenital hydrocephalus induced by X-irradiation in mice. Since the sensitive period for malformations produced by X-radiation in mice ranges from gestational day 7 (G7) to Gl3.