Hydrocephalus, a disease of intracranial hypertension caused by increased volume of cerebrospinal fluid, is clinically marked by enlarged skull and separation of bregmatic cranial sutures. It basically belongs to the category of "jielu" (infantile metopism) in TCM. Clinically, hydrocephalus is divided into two types of non-communicating (obstructive) hydrocephalus and communicating hydrocephalus according to the location of circulatory disturbance of cerebrospinal fluid. The former refers to the obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid above the fourth ventricular foramen; the latter refers to the obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid below the fourth ventricular foramen.

The disease prevails in children at the age of 6 months to 7 years. Infantile patients with hydrocephalus often have dysphoria, lethargy, poor appetite, vomiting, etc., even convulsion, blindness in severe cases as well as malnutrition, disturbance of intelligence development, difficulty in upbringing and unfavourable prognosis during the pathological process. Some infantile patients with mild hydrocephalus may remit gradually if timely treatment is given.