Day 25 - Lochlan's Planned Neurosurgery

Day 25 – Friday, August 11, 2017

AGE: 3 weeks, 3 days old (28 weeks, 2 day gestation)

Lochlan: Weight is 2 lb 3.6 oz. (Birth weight: 1 lb 10.8 oz.)
                Length  in. (Birth Length 13 in.)
Lex:        Weight is 2 lb 4.3 oz. (Birth weight: 1 lb 10.8 oz.)
                Length is  in. (Birth length: 13 in.)

Lochlan is scheduled for surgery this Tuesday (08/15/17) to get his temporary shunt put in by the neurosurgeon to help drain spinal fluid from his brain. 

During the first 2 weeks of life, Lochlan’s cranial ultrasound showed he had IVH. He had a grade 4 ion the left side of his brain and a grade 2 in the right side of his brain. Grade 4 is the worst. Since then, his brain has been closely monitored with follow up cranial ultrasounds and his head circumference has been measured daily to check for growth. There has been no need brain bleeding which is good, but the other concern is retention of spinal fluid in the brain.  Brain bleeding can cause swelling and/or create scar tissue which makes it difficult for the brain to cycle through spinal fluid in the brain. If not reabsorbed, the fluid can build in the brain and can be damaging. Last week, the neurosurgeon felt the Lochlan had retained enough fluid in his skull that it needed to be drained and so it was drained with a needle (tap)the same day as Lex’s PDA surgery (08/08/17). 

Since the drain, he has continued to be monitored to see how quickly he was accumulating fluid in his brain. Today, it was decided that Lochlan will benefit from having a temporary shunt put in to help drain the fliud instead of doing more taps. There is a 80% chance that he will need a permanent shunt put in once he gets big enough (over 4 lbs).

Lochlan’s brain fluid was measured today and the neurosurgeon decided that he was retained enough fluid that he needed to do something different.