Issue release date: 12.11.2024
2The Aga Khan University, Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.11447-14.1 AIM: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt insertion remains the most popular method for the treatment of hydrocephalus despite its associated complications. We assessed VP shunt survival in a group of patients who had developed hydrocephalus following cranial surgery.
MATERIAL and METHODS: A retrospective charts review was done over a 10-year period at our institution. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Log-Rank (Cox-Mantel) test were used to analyze various factors affecting VP shunt survival.
RESULTS: Among the 67 cases included, a total of 28 (46.3%) patients had undergone cranial surgery for brain tumors. The overall rate of shunt failure was 14.9% at a mean follow-up of 16 months. Shunt failure in pediatric patients (20%) was slightly higher than that in adult patients (13.5%). The median time to first shunt failure was adversely influenced by a history of brain tumor (p = 0.019), prolonged antibiotic therapy (p = 0.018) and administration of steroids (p = 0.004).
CONCLUSION: Shunt survival was worse in patients who developed hydrocephalus following cranial surgery performed for brain tumors and those who received either steroids or prolonged antibiotic therapy. Thus post-cranial surgery hydrocephalus represents a unique subset of hydrocephalus.
Keywords : Ventriculoperitoneal shunt, Hydrocephalus, Post-cranial surgery hydrocephalus, Shunt survival, Shunt complication, Shunt failure