Post-operative mental development in patients with hydrocephalus and craniosynostosis.

Studies on children treated for craniosynostosis and hydrocephalus have focussed mainly on medical aspects in the past. However, in recent years the intellectual and social development of such children are also being studied. These children suffer from rejection since birth, due to obvious gross craniofacial deformity, brain anomalies and mental retardation(l). The intellectual deterioration is mainly caused by raised intracranial pressure with or without hydrocephalus and/or craniofacial syndrome. Psychosocial assessment is important to determine suitability for surgery, providing preand post-operative counselling, long-term psychosocial development and rehabilitation. The importance of longitudinal studies in the postoperative management of these patients cannot, there-