Hydrocephalus Treatment Cost in Germany

The cost of Hydrocephalus treatment in Germany typically ranges from $2,500 to $22,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.

Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid in the brain. Without treatment it can be fatal, but a shunt or other procedure can drain the fluid. In Germany, the total depends on:

• Type of hydrocephalus: present from birth, acquired or normal pressure.
• Brain scans: CT or MRI.
• Shunt surgery: the usual treatment.
• Endoscopic third ventriculostomy: an alternative for some people.

The NHS explains that hydrocephalus can be present from birth, for example with spina bifida or after infection, or acquired after a head injury or tumour. Normal pressure hydrocephalus affects people over 60 and causes walking problems, memory problems and loss of bladder control.

Symptoms include headache, feeling sick, blurred vision and difficulty walking. A CT or MRI scan confirms it. The brain makes about a pint of fluid a day, which normally drains away.

A shunt, a thin tube that drains fluid from the brain to another part of the body, is the usual treatment. An endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) creates a new drainage route inside the brain and is an alternative for some people.

Shunts can block or become infected, so new symptoms should be checked promptly.

Shunt surgery usually needs a hospital stay of several days, and follow-up for shunt problems continues near home. International patients are usually treated in Germany as self-paying patients: the hospital reviews the medical reports, sends a cost estimate and asks for an advance payment before admission, then settles the final bill after discharge.