Hydrocephalus Program |Overview
The Boston Children's Hospital Hydrocephalus Program treats children with all forms of hydrocephalus — an excess of cerebrospinal fluid inside or around the brain.
Sixty years ago, Boston Children's became the first hospital in the world to treat hydrocephalus by rerouting excess fluid from the brain into another body cavity — a process known as shunting.
In the years since, physicians in Boston Children's Hydrocephalus Program have designed and tested the next generation of shunting devices, including the externally programmable shunt.
We’ve also helped refine the use of minimally-invasive surgical techniques, such as the landmarkETV/CPC procedure, which combines endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) with choroid plexus cauterization (ETV/CPC) to more effectively treat hydrocephalus while minimizing stress and shortening the aftercare process for patients. Ourclinicianshave taught this technique, as well as other less invasive, life-saving treatments, to pediatric neurosurgeons around the world.
Why choose the Boston Children’s Hydrocephalus Program?
Here at Boston Children’s, your child will be cared for by experts from several key disciplines, working together to develop the best possible treatment plan. Our team can address every aspect of your child’s care — from the initial diagnostic imaging to state-of-the-art treatment to long-term follow up and family support.
We work closely with other experts across Boston Children's — including genetic counselors, imaging specialists and social workers — to meet all of your child's needs, including treatment for other conditions that might be associated, such as congenital malformations or tumors of the brain or spinal cord.
Our clinicians have many years of experience performing all the available options for safe and effective treatment of hydrocephalus.