Abdulrahaman A., 1

Abdulrahaman is now 1month old, he lives with his parents and 4 siblings in a one room house in a small town in Kaduna. His father is a bike man while his mother is a house wife. Life already dealth him some level of pain from the day he was born but he is a fighter who choose to fight to stay alive. There was failure of development of the pathway through which brain fluid flow leading to accumulation of fluid in the ventricle, increase in the pressure within the brain and progressive increase in the size of the head. This was first noticed within the first few days of his life. He was referred from General Hospital Kawo to 44 Army reference Hospital then later referred to Epsilon. After assessment it was noted that the parents cannot afford to pay the hospital bills so the child was admitted into Helpster program. Evaluation confirmed a severe Obstructive Hydrocephalus causing severe complications for the child.

Auwal Abdulrahman, a 2-month-old with congenital hydrocephalus, was diagnosed at birth and needed urgent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The operation was delayed due to financial constraints, and during that wait he developed recurrent seizures as his condition worsened. Once admitted on 18th February 2026, he underwent a successful shunt insertion on 19th February 2026 without complications and initially tolerated it well. Despite intensive postoperative care and the team’s efforts to control his seizures and support his recovery, his condition continued to deteriorate, and he passed away on 27th February 2026 from complications of severe hydrocephalus. This case shows how early diagnosis and timely treatment can make a critical difference for infants with hydrocephalus.

Severe obstructive hydrocephalus, caused by aqueductal stenosis, has resulted in marked ventricular enlargement and substantial, prolonged compression of the cerebral mantle. Delayed treatment has caused significant, irreversible structural brain impairment, including visual deficits and expected developmental, cognitive, and motor delays. The condition is currently life-threatening with an extremely low likelihood of survival without urgent surgical intervention to relieve intracranial pressure. Surgical intervention offers a 50% chance of survival and represents the only option to prevent imminent death, although significant long-term neurological, visual, and developmental challenges are anticipated At presentation 6 weeks ago when the head was relatively smaller prognosis was good. However with delayed intervention the prognosis is guarded. The child has only a 50:50 chance of have good brain function after the surgery.