Transient hydrocephalus in premature infants: Treatment by lumbar punctures.

Three premature infants with post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus were treated by removing large volumes of cerebrospinal fluid with repeated lumbar punctures. After this treatment, a computerised tomographic brain scan showed that ventricle size had decreased, and subsequent head growth was normal in all three patients. The results suggest that acquired hydrocephalus in premature infants may be transient and that ventricular shunts may not be necessary in all cases.