Congenital hydrocephalus: a new experimental model with histopathological study.

We describe a new experimental model of fetal hydrocephalus in the lamb. 14 sheep were operated on at 100-120 days gestation for the insertion of a catheter into the fetal aqueduct of Sylvius to block cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. After the operation the intracranial pressure (ICP) was measured daily from the distal end of the catheter. The progress of ventricular dilatation was recorded by ultrasound. At ICP 100 mm/H2O the animals were killed for postmortem examination of the fetuses. Neuropathological examination showed massive dilatation of the ventricles. The ependymal cells appeared to be flat and the cellular lining disrupted. Growth of pseudocysts, cellular stratification and proliferation of the paraventricular germinal cells were observed also. With our new experimental model we were able to control the rise in ICP and correlate the evolution of the anatomical damage with the duration of high ICP and with the gestational age at which it began. Our model can also be used at early stages of gestation for reversing the development of hydrocephalus. It might therefore provide information on the suitability of fetal hydrocephalus surgery.