Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Congenital hydrocephaly is one of the most common central nervous system anomalies. This
generally refers to a condition that exists prenatally and excludes other neural tube defects ; this
condition usually develops by the twentieth week of gestation , and defect can occur either alone,
in association with spina bifida, or as part of a greater syndrome, such as Dandy-Walker Syndrome.
There are various types or classifications of congenital hydrocephaly. Aqueductal stenosis is a type
of hydrocephaly that results from narrowing of the aqueduct of Sylvius, an opening connecting the
third and fourth ventricles in the brain.
OBJECTIVE:
There are few studies evaluating the incidence of aqueduct stenosis out of hydrocephalus patient in
pediatric population, in Mosul city ,therefore, this topic was considered in present study .
MATERIAL AND METHOD:
The study was conducted in Ebn Sena Teaching Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery and
Radiology in Iraq Mosul city, as a retrospective study for 250 cases collected between October
2007 and 31 December 2008, and prospective for 250 patients are studied between June 2009 and
January 2011. Spiral computed tomography of the brain was performed for all patients. five
hundred patients were analyzed by spiral computed tomography.
RESULTS:
During the analyses the peak age incidence of congenital hydrocephalus association with aqueduct
stenosis was below 2 years old (39%). The male to female ratio was (1.3:1). The incidence of
aqueduct stenosis was (63.9%) out of congenital hydrocephalus and (16.6%)out of acquired cases.
In this series the non-communicating type of hydrocephalus was forming about (65.6%) and the
communicating type forming about (16.2%), the lest type is compensatory (10.4%).
CONCLUSION:
The most common cause of hydrocephalus was congenital in origin (56%), and it was mostly due
to congenital aqueduct stenosis (63.9%).