Obstructive Hydrocephalus

Obstructive Hydrocephalus is a potentially dangerous condition where the normal drainage of spinal fluid out of the brain’s ventricles is blocked and the resulting pressure build-up can cause headaches, nausea, blurred vision, double vision, or in severe cases even loss of consciousness.

Obstructive Hydrocephalus is easily diagnosed by brain imaging, and treated with surgery, either to remove the source of the blockage (such as a tumor or cyst) and create new drainage paths, or to implant a shunt, an internal tube used to bypass the blockage and drain the fluid out of the head. The Johns Hopkins Headache Center has expert neurologists and neurosurgeons that specialize in treating the condition.