The National Centre for Hydrocephalus

F.R.O.D.O are working with several Neurosurgeons in Romania to control Hydrocephalus (water on the brain), which is regularly treated in the west, but among abandoned children is typically left untreated in Romania and other developing countries, resulting in grotesque swelling of the skull to multiples of it’s normal size, ultimately causing brain damage and a very painful death. F.R.O.D.O have arranged a charitable supply of shunts, which are implanted in the skull to drain the fluid, and are currently organising partnerships between the leading Romanian neurosurgeons and several leading neurosurgeons in the U.K. The objective would be for the key members to receive training here in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe, then to go back to train other surgeons in Romania. They are also establishing a monitoring network in maternity hospitals, as this
condition is evident and treatable at birth. Within 3 years our goal is that the Romanian Health Ministry will fully take over this project, and they can bow out.

Treatment and Training

This is a program which harnesses the desire of surgeons in the West (UK, Europe, US) to give something back. They will volunteer their time (for 2 weeks or more) to come to Romania (and ultimately other poor countries) to:

• Operate on orphaned children with chronic operable conditions,
• Show Romanian surgeons their techniques,
• Give lectures where possible
• Develop long-term relationships via e-mail, phone and possibly visits.

F.R.O.D.O have an orthopaedic surgeon who is an assistant professor at University of Southern California who is putting together a team of surgeons to visit Romania in August/September. To date, working with Romanian hospitals and social services we have catalogued 240 children in 5 of the 47 counties in Romania who have chronic, operable conditions.