[hahy-droh-suh-fal-ik] 
| of or pertaining to hydrocephalus. |
| hy·dro·ceph·a·lus (hī'drō-sěf'ə-ləs) n. 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. [New Latin, from Greek hudrokephalon : hudro-, hydro- + kephalē, head; see ghebh-el- in Indo-European roots.] hy'dro·ce·phal'ic (-sə-fāl'ĭk), hy'dro·ceph'a·loid' (-loid'), hy'dro·ceph'a·lous (-ləs) adj. |
| hydrocephalus (hī'drō-sěf'ə-ləs) also hydrocephaly (hī'drō-sěf'ə-ləs) Pronunciation Key
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. hydrocephalic adjective (hī'drō-sə-fāl'ĭk) |
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