My daughter has headache and the CT shows hydrocephalus. Please give a suggestion.

Question

Hello doctor,

My daughter is 5 years old. She was complaining about headaches and I decided to take her to make a CT. She was at that time, with HMFD(hand, mouth and foot disease), and I did not know that this HMFD could influence her brain and make it inflamed. So, the CT came out and the doctor, said that probably is nothing, but it is better to check in a bigger hospital with a specialist because her brain has a little too much water and could be hydrocephalus.

I will attach the CT and I would like to have a second opinion before taking further actions. She has no other symptoms besides a headache sometimes. She is way above average in learning, speaks three languages and very fast in learning, also, very healthy. So, since she has no symptoms from hydrocephalus, I do not know how to proceed. Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your question and reviewed your uploaded CT scan images. (attachment removed to protect patient identity).

I would explain that these images are not compatible with congenital hydrocephalus. But, it is true that it seems to be a little enlargement of the lateral ventricles and cisterna magna (considering her age), which indicates that something is going on. Besides the headache is usually associated with increased intracranial hypertension ( like in case of abnormal fluid accumulation in the brain).

Coming to this point I would recommend performing a brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in order to examine her brain better and investigate for the possible causes underlying her complaints. You should know that the brain MRI has a much higher sensitivity and specificity for such diagnosis, compared to the CT (computed tomography) scan and it has no risks of radiation.

I hope this helps.