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While typical surgical methods of handling VP shunt infections involve removal and reimplantation of the shunt, different types of operations have used with success in select patients. Steinbok et al. treated a case of recurrent VP shunt infections in an eczematous patient with a ventriculosubgaleal shunt for two months until the eczema healed ...
An external ventricular drain (EVD), also known as a ventriculostomy or extraventricular drain, is a device used in neurosurgery to treat hydrocephalus and relieve elevated intracranial pressure when the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside the brain is obstructed.
When catheter drainage is permanent, it is usually referred to as a shunt. There are many catheter-based ventricular shunts that are named for where they terminate, for example, a ventriculoperitoneal shunt terminates in the peritoneal cavity, a ventriculoatrial shunt terminates within the atrium of the heart, etc.
The treatment of choice in NPH is ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery (VPS). This treatment needs a VP shunt, which is a catheter with a valve aiming at implementing a one-way outflow of the excessive amount of CSF from the ventricles. It is obligatory to have patency control because of some possible complications such as infections and obstruction.
Risk-benefit analyses have shown beyond any doubt that surgery for NPH is far better than conservative treatment or the natural course. [22] VP shunt is less likely to be recommended in those who have severe dementia at time of NPH diagnosis, regardless of findings found on MRI or CT. [10] [28] Gait symptoms improve in ≥ 85% patients.
A shunt has risk of infection and failure for which subsequent surgery is needed. Complications of ETV include hemorrhage (the most severe being due to basilar artery rupture), injury to neural structures (e.g. hypothalamus , pituitary gland or fornix of the brain ), and late sudden deterioration. [ 3 ]
The shunt also has a valve which serves to maintain one-way flow of the CSF and regulates the flow rate. The end with the catheter is placed in the third ventricle to drain the excess CSF and the other end is placed in the peritoneal cavity or atrium of the heart (making it a ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunt, respectively). The ...
Shunt surgery is one of the most common procedures in pediatric neurosurgery. Significant advances in shunt technology and surgical approaches have been made over the years. However, the lifetime risk for a revision surgery of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in pediatric patients can reach up to 80%. [59] Shunt failure rates are also high.