Microcephaly can be divided into true microcephaly and relative microcephaly.
1, true microcephaly is mostly caused by an autosomal aberration, or the fetus is exposed to radiation or intrauterine infection, especially in the early pregnancy, indicating that the gyrus is too small, or there is no gyrus, and the brain development is obviously slow. It often stops in the third to fifth month of the fetus. The patient's head is small and pointed, his forehead is flat, and his head circumference is smaller than the chest rotation, the maximum is not more than 43 cm, and the minimum is 25. The anterior fontanel is closed early, and all or part of the suture is closed too early, and the physical and intellectual development is backward, and the development of language and behavior is impaired. Some patients have convulsions, muscle tension, lymphocytosis and even spastic paralysis. The prognosis varies with the degree of brain hypoplasia, and acupuncture treatment can get certain curative effect.
2. Relative microcephaly, also known as pseudomicrocephaly, is brain injury and brain atrophy caused by inflammation and cerebrovascular injury, and the degree of head circumference reduction is lighter than that of true microcephaly.
Can microcephaly be cured?
Microcephaly cannot be completely cured, but some treatments can help the development of skull and prevent complications. If you have slight microcephaly, you need regular check-ups to test your growth and development. If you are a seriously ill child, you need lifelong treatment to control your symptoms. Some microcephaly with epilepsy may be life-threatening. The doctor will explore ways to control his seizures, ensure his safety and improve his quality of life.
In addition, if microcephaly is more serious, it should be treated accordingly. If epilepsy is complicated, epilepsy should be controlled, corresponding epilepsy drugs should be taken, and speech therapy and physical therapy should be used.
General microcephaly may eventually cause the brain to stop growing and developing, while slight microcephaly may have no other problems, and it will grow normally after puberty, and with the growth of age, it will meet various growth and development needs suitable for the age. If microcephaly is serious, there will be serious complications, which require regular follow-up and surgical treatment.
How long can microcephaly live?
Microcephaly, also known as cranial stenosis, has a small and pointed head. People with mild microcephaly can live for about 20 years, and those with severe microcephaly may die for about 5 years.
Examination and treatment of microcephaly
When treating this disease, we should check the skull photos and CT, and operate as soon as possible for those with increased intracranial pressure. For children with premature closure of simple suture, neurosurgery can be used to treat them, which can achieve certain curative effect.
Microcephaly is mainly treated by surgery, which aims to enlarge the cranial cavity, relieve intracranial hypertension and make the compressed brain tissue and cranial nerve develop and grow.
There are two ways of surgical treatment, one is to take out the suture that was closed prematurely, and then choose a new suture, and the other is to take out a large piece of bone to achieve decompression, which is beneficial to the development of the brain.
The earlier the operation, the better. The prognosis of the operator is good within half a year after operation. Once optic atrophy and mental retardation occur, even if surgery is performed, the function is not easy to recover.