Cerebral aqueduct stenosis presenting with limb pain.

Two children are reported with hydrocephalus and aqueduct stenosis who presented with back and limb pains. Neither had the classic symptoms of headache and vomiting. The children had enlarged heads and later developed ataxic gait and papilloedema. The cause of the pains is uncertain but similar symptoms have been reported in subjects with benign intracranial hypertension and may relate to spinal nerve root pouch distension. Operative ventricular drainage resulted in rapid improvement of all symptoms in both children.