HYDROCEPHALUS IN INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD - OUR EXPERIENCE OF CSF SHUNTING

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  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 2  (4) , 209-225
Abstract
A surgical series of 346 children with nontumoral hydrocephalus treated by shunting was presented. The etiological factors, preoperative clincial and anatomical status of the patients, their surgical course, the reasons for revision operations and causes of death were analyzed and discussed in relation to each of the 4 groups constituting the series: tetraventricular communicating hydrocephalus, triventricular hydrocephalus, obstructive hydrocephalus from ventriculocisternal block and postmeningocele or postmyelomeningocele hydrocephalus. Some patients (141) required 218 revision operations. After the first operation 16 patients died, 27 died on revision and 38 died some time later. Some patients (41) were lost to follow-up. A recent clinical and instrumental review of the physical, neurological and mental status of the remaining 224 patients showed that 136 (60.7%) were well or very well, 68 (30%) had residual deficits likely to regress with treatment and 20 (8.9%) were handicapped. These long-term results and the surgical aspects of the problem were discussed in light of the literature.

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