A team comprising of Dr. Ashwin Borkar, Dr. Vinod Rambal, Dr. Rajashri Tayshete Bhasale, and Dr. Nitu Mundhra from Wockhardt hospital performed a complex & critical surgery on the newborn with hydrocephalus, water accumulation in the head of the newborn. The baby is doing well now.
The baby boy was diagnosed with hydrocephalus in intrauterine life, a rare condition called hydrocephalus which causes fluid-build in the brain increasing the size of the head. The mother came to know about this condition in one of the Ultrasound examinations at 26 weeks. Following this she visited Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road. Further evaluation showed an Arachnoid Cyst (Accumulation of CSF) in the posterior fossa which led to hydrocephalus.
The prevalence of Arachnoid cysts in the fetal period was reported to be approximately 0.2 – 0.9%. The patient was monitored clinically and by Ultrasound for increasing the size of the head. The baby was delivered at 37 weeks through LSCS done by Dr Rajashri Tayshete.
The baby boy was born on 3rd May 2023. The newborn baby was kept in NICU for further evaluation and management under Dr.Nitu Mundhra, Consultant Neonatologist.
An MRI brain with whole spine screening was done. The baby was diagnosed to have Dandy-Walker syndrome _ a condition associated with a large posterior fossa cyst, cerebellar atrophy, and gross obstructive hydrocephalus. In this condition, the brain fluid (CSF) flow is disturbed as the CSF outflow pathway is not formed normally since birth leading to the trapping of significant amounts of CSF within the brain and enlargement of the head size. The neurosurgery team comprising Dr. Ashwin Borkar and Dr. Vinod Rambal operated on the baby on the third day of life with a surgery called Ventriculoperitoneal shunt. In this surgery, a small hole is drilled in the skull, and a small shunt tube is passed with one end into the ventricular (brain cavity) to drain CSF into the abdominal cavity at the other end. This procedure provides CSF diversion, relieves brain pressure, and helps in normal brain growth. After the successful surgery, the baby showed remarkable improvement and both mother and child were discharged in healthy condition.” Said Dr Ashwin Borkar, Consultant Neurosurgeon specializing in brain and spine surgery, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road.
“We were unaware of the condition that our baby suffered from. We panicked and were worried about his future. How will he survive? This question haunted us. Fortunately, the doctors at Wockhardt Hospitals Mira Road were able to provide timely intervention and give the second lease of life to our baby,” concluded the patient’s mother Pooja Khunt.