Updates on the diagnosis and management of posttraumatic hydrocephalus

Posttraumatic hydrocephalus is a vital subject for the practitioner caring for patients with traumatic encephalopathy, as a large number of brain trauma patients develop ventricular enlargement. The managing physician should understand which ventriculomegalic patients are suffering from hydrocephalus, which have cerebral atrophy and which stand a reasonable chance of improvement on surgical placement of a ventricular shunt. This paper highlights this decision process in two patients, and offers the physician a practical overview of posttraumatic hydrocephalus and its management.