Developmental considerations in hydrocephalus after traumatic brain injury in children: a narrative review
Pediatric-specific data on PTH remain limited; however, recent studies suggest that younger age - particularly under five years at injury - as well as injury severity are the two strongest predictors of PTH development. Clinically, PTH may present acutely with neurological deterioration or chronically with delayed recovery and neurodevelopmental regression. Early recognition is critical, as untreated PTH can lead to lifelong neurological dysfunction and even death, yet diagnosis is often delayed by symptom overlap with other posttraumatic conditions and difficulties in distinguishing true hydrocephalus from ventriculomegaly. Management is primarily surgical and centers on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion, most commonly with external ventricular drainage (EVD) in the acute phase and permanent shunting or ventriculostomy in select cases. Despite timely intervention, long-term morbidity remains substantial, underscoring the importance of prevention, early detection, and multidisciplinary follow-up.
Authors
- A. Olufemi Adeleye
- Rafael T. Holmgren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4404-5828)
- Paolo Frassanito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0071-3126)
- C. Iaccarino
- Dong Van He
- Deepali Gupta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6771-2534)
- Insa Janssen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4960-0467)
- Lucio De Maria (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4062-5665)
- Maria Jones‐Muhammad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3078-2096)
- Nealen G. Laxpati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9603-9169)
- Laura S. Blackwell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3209-5772)
- Anna V. Baer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3110-7914)
- Youssef M. Zohdy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6089-4833)
- Jacob Lepard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9690-4113)
- Olubunmi A. Fariyike (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9626-3144)
- Opara Oluwamayowa
- Maryam Javed
- Andrew Reisner
- Meena S. Verma
- Bethany Chern
- Laura Lippa
- Jai Trivedi
- Saya P Brahma
- Emma C Walson
- Nina Fainberg
- Garlynd Johnson
- P David Adelson
- Lynne Lourdes N Lucena
- Myer Khan
- Amit Chakrabarty
- Virenda Deo Sinha
- Leslie Velasquez
Institutions
- Linköping University (SE)
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- West Virginia University (US)
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- University College Hospital (GB)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Emory University (US)
- Federal University of Technology Owerri (NG)
- University of Ibadan (NG)
- Bir Hospital (NP)
- Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
- Santokba Durlabhji Memorial hospital (IN)
- Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale degli Spedali Civili di Brescia (IT)
- Westminster Schools (US)
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese (IT)
- Regional Medical Center (US)
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (US)
- University Hospital of the West Indies (JM)
- Viet Duc Hospital (VN)
- University College London (GB)
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (IN)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Brain Injury
- Published
- 2026-03-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2026.2636707
- Primary Topic
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00