Pediatric neuroanesthesia. Hydrocephalus.

Hydrocephalus, one of the most common adult and pediatric neurosurgical disorders, is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricular system as a result of obstruction to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Causes of hydrocephalus include congenital obstruction, hemorrhage, infection, cysts and tumors, and associated neural tube deformities (i.e., myelomeningocele, Arnold-Chiari malformation). Treatment of hydrocephalus involves surgical implantation of shunt systems to drain the cerebrospinal fluid. Anesthetic considerations involve attention to the possibility of increased intracranial pressure and prevention of aspiration through rapid-sequence intravenous induction and modest hyperventilation until the ventricles have been decompressed.