Abstract
A consecutive series of 120 patients with infantile hydrocephalus who were submitted to ventriculo-atrial shunting was studied. The average follow-up was 11 years. There was no operative mortality; 7 patients died during the follow-up period, but only in 1 case was the cause of death a consequence of the shunt procedure. The incidence rates of infection and slit ventricle syndrome were 4.2% and 1.8%, respectively. Shunt revision was performed on 253 occasions yielding a revision rate of 2.2 per patient. Of these 253 revisions 167 (66%) took the form of elective lengthening of the atrial catheter. The number of reoperations to adjust the length of the atrial catheter or to revise the distal end of the shunting system is a major disadvantage, which actually favors ventriculo-peritoneal shunting as the primary procedure for the treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson H (1966) Craniosynostosis as a complication after operation for hydrocephalus. Acta Paediatr Scand 55:192–196
Fokes EC (1970) Occult infections of ventriculoatrial shunts. J Neurosurg 33:517–523
Forrest DM, Cooper DGW (1968) Complications of ventriculo-atrial shunts. J Neurosurg 29:506–512
George R, Leibrock L, Epstein M (1979) Long-term analysis of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections. A 25-year experience. J Neurosurg 51:804–811
Hirsch JF, Hoppe-Hirsch E (1988) Shunts and shunt problems in childhood. In: Symon L, et al (eds) Advances and technical standards in neurosurgery, vol 16. Springer, Wien New York, pp 177–211
Huber ZA (1981) Complications of shunt operations performed in 206 children because of communicating hydrocephalus. Zentralbl Neurochir 42:165–170
Keucher TR, Mealey J (1979) Longterm results after ventriculoatrial and ventriculoperitoneal shunting for infantile hydrocephalus. J Neurosurg 50:179–186
Klein DM (1990) Shunt infections. In: Scott RM (ed) Hydrocephalus. (Concepts in neurosurgery, vol 3) Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 79–97
Little JR, Rhoton AL, Mellinger JF (1972) Comparison of ventriculoperitoneal and ventriculoatrial shunts for hydrocephalus in children. Mayo Clin Proc 47:396–401
Luthardt T (1970) Bacterial infections in ventriculo-auricular shunt systems. Dev Med Child Neurol Suppl 22:105–1109
Nugent GR, Russel L, Judy M, Bloor BM, Warden H (1966) Thromboembolic complications of ventriculo-atrial shunts. Angiocardiographic and pathologic correlations. J Neurosurg 24:34–42
Nulsen FE, Spitz EB (1952) Treatment of hydrocephalus by direct shunt from ventricle to jugular vein. Surg Forum 2:239–403
Renier D, Lacombe J, Pierre-Kahn A, Sainte-Rose C, Hirsch JF (1984) Factors causing shunt infection. J Neurosurg 61:1072–1078
Shapiro S, Boaz J, Kleinman M, Kalsbeck J, Mealey J (1988) Origin of organisms infecting ventricular shunts. Neurosurgery 22:868–872
Shurtleff DB, Christie D, Foltz EL (1971) Ventriculoauriculostomy-associated infection. A 12-year study. J Neurosurg 35:686–694
Stauffer UG (1970) “Shunt nephritis”: diffuse glomerulonephritis complicating ventriculo-atrial shunts. Dev Med Child Neurol Suppl 22:161–164
Steinbok P, Thompson GB (1976) Complications of ventriculo-vascular shunts: computer analysis of etiological factors. Surg Neurol 5:31–35
Wisoff JH, Epstein FJ (1990) Diagnosis and treatment of the slit ventricle syndrome. In: Scott RM (ed) Hydrocephalus. (Concept in neurosurgery, vol 3) Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 79–85
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vernet, O., Campiche, R. & de Tribolet, N. Long-term results after ventriculo-atrial shunting in children. Child's Nerv Syst 11, 176–179 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00570261
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00570261