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P91.7: Acquired hydrocephalus of newborn

In the period immediately after the birth, spinal fluid collected in the child’s head.

The brain is located inside the head. It receives, processes and stores sensory impressions. The brain controls movements and various physical functions. There are cavities with cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, around the brain and around the spinal cord. Among other things, the cerebrospinal fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord during knocks and also nourishes the brain cells.

There can be a variety of reasons why lot of spinal fluid accumulates in a baby’s head. For example, spinal fluid accumulates if it is unable to drain away in the usual way. This can be the case, for example, after a bleed in the brain. The blood can block the spinal fluid's drainage ducts. The drainage ducts can also become blocked if the brain has been inflamed by pathogens. A lot of spinal fluid can also accumulate if more spinal fluid than normal is produced. This can happen if there is inflammation, for example.

If lot of spinal fluid accumulates the child can have a variety of indications. The baby's head may be larger than usual because of the accumulated spinal fluid. The child may also be unwilling to drink, or it may vomit. The child may be particularly sleepy. There may also be seizures and a slower heartbeat.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).