hydrocephalus

Also hy·dro·ceph·a·ly

[hahy-druh-sef-uh-luhs]

noun

Pathology.

1. an accumulation of serous fluid within the cranium, especially in infancy, due to obstruction of the movement of cerebrospinal fluid, often causing great enlargement of the head; water on the brain.

hydrocephalus

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊˈsɛfəlɪ, ˌhaɪdrəʊˈsɛfələs, ˌhaɪdrəʊsɛˈfælɪk /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: water on the brain. accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles of the brain because its normal outlet has been blocked by congenital malformation or disease. In infancy it usually results in great enlargement of the head

hydrocephalus

1. A usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of and injury to brain tissue. If hydrocephalus becomes progressive, a shunt is surgically placed to reduce pressure by conducting fluid away from the brain, usually to the peritoneum.

Other Word Forms

• hydrocephalic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydrocephalus¹

1660–70; < Late Latin hydrocephalus ( morbus ) water-headed (sickness), translation of Greek tò hydroképhalon ( páthos ). See hydro- ¹, -cephalous

Example Sentences

Less happily, it also comes as Joel has been forced from the concert stage after being diagnosed this year with a brain disorder called normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Billy Joel has canceled all of his upcoming shows to focus on treating normal pressure hydrocephalus, a disorder where excess cerebrospinal fluid builds in the brain.

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Joel, 76, has normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, according to a statement posted Friday on the piano man’s social media.

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“And a day does not go by when I don't think about 'What did I do when I was pregnant with him that might've caused the hydrocephalus that has so impacted his life?'”

Read more on Salon

He had the operation after an MRI scan in Surrey revealed he had hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.

Read more on BBC