The specialists of Pediatric division performed a unique surgical procedure in a patient with an advanced form of brain dropsy.

The doctors of Pediatric division have performed a surgical procedure on reduction of head size in case of advanced form of brain dropsy.

Since birth the baby was diagnosed with brain dropsy. For a range of reasons surgical procedure that could prevent further disease progression was not performed.

In spite of steady disease progression and unfavorable prognosis, the child continued struggle for his life, as well as his mother who didn’t leave the boy and didn’t give up hope to release his condition.

However, when the head circumference practically runs to 1-meter sign and its mass exceeds the weight of the body, it is physically impossible to look after such child. It goes without saying that in case of such head dimensions the child cannot sit but also he cannot turn in the bed, which makes the nursing for such child more difficult.

Attempts to go to St.-Petersburg for treatment were unsuccessful because the risk that the patient could not bear the transportation due to his severe condition was too high.

When the child was 6 years old, his mother found out about Novosibirsk Neurosurgical Center. The child’s transportation in a reanimation car from Omsk to Novosibirsk was organized with the help of charity fund. It is the first time when we deal with such neglected case of brain dropsy.

After additional follow-up examination it was decided to perform liquor-bypassing surgical procedure. But shunt installation could only stop further progression of brain dropsy and would be unable to solve the other, more significant problem – huge head size.

It was decided that the operation on reduction of head size should be performed together with installation of ventriculoperitonial shunt. In the result of hours-long operation the first stage of surgical treatment has been done: the shunt was installed to remove the excess of cerebrospinal fluid; anterior parts of the skull were reduced. All these measures allowed decreasing the head’s mass by 5 kg. At present the child is moved to the pediatric division in stable condition. In some months it’s planned to perform the second stage of treatment directed to further decreasing of head’s size.