Another question from ole you know who regarding a thing called hydrocephalus...?

Question

I was wondering if anyone knew of anyone with hydrocephalus who has had their head surgically reshaped so that it wouldn't be so abnormally large in appearance, and did insurance cover any of it, or was it considered cosmetic surgery?

Answer 1

They never did any sort of surgery , cosmetic or otherwise to reduce the skull. The shunts surgery similar to the procedure today came about in the 1940's, but did not become common until later on. Most children at the time were not treated at all, and most died in childhood. The surgery involved implanting a shunt to drain the excess fluid from the brain and spinal cord down into the body where it could be absorbed and eliminated. When the fluid drains, the skull shrinks down. No surgery is required for that to happen. Insurance did cover the cost of the shunt surgery, and the maintenance, and still does. But nobody ever carved on anybody's skull. In cases where the hydrocephalus was not progressive, some children did live, but were institutionalized in special wards. They were usually severely mentally retarded, and wore special padded helmets to try to protect their overly large heads. Those days have long passed, mercifully.