Definition of "hydrocephalus" [hy•dro•ceph•a•lus]

• A usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of the brain, destroying much of the neural tissue. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Fetal hydrocephalus is also commonly associated with congenital malformation syndromes."
• "Traditionally, hydrocephalus is detected and treated after birth with a shunting procedure."
• "The most common form of isolated, obstructive hydrocephalus is so-called “aqueductal stenosis,” which is the blockage of CSF passage through the aqueduct of Sylvius."