Introduction: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt malfunction is common in pediatric age group patients.
There is a high complication rate and revision rate of VP shunt. Endoscopic third
ventriculostomy (ETV) can alleviate these complications and can act as an effective
alternative for the treatment of hydrocephalus in this age group of patients. Materials and Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed the management and outcome of 36 failed VP shunts
in pediatric patients for the treatment of hydrocephalus. The surgeries were performed
between November 2010 and January 2016 in a tertiary care hospital. The minimal follow-up
period was 3 months. We divided the patients into the following age groups: <1 year
(eight infants), 1–10 years (18 children), and 10–18 years (10 children). The success
of the procedure was determined by age, sex, type of hydrocephalus, and the number
of shunt revisions and malfunction before ETV. Children with different age (P = 0.839)
and sex group did not show any significant data (P = 0.798). Children with communicating
hydrocephalus had a success rate of 52.9% (17 patients), and children with noncommunicating
hydrocephalus had a success rate of 84.2% (19 patients). The success rate in children
with only one shunt malfunction was 57.1% (21 patients), whereas in 15 children with
two or more shunt malfunctions, the success rate of ETV was 86.7%. Conclusions: The authors conclude that ETV is an effective alternative for the treatment of hydrocephalus
in children. Age does not present a contraindication for ETV in failed VP shunt.
Key-words:
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy - hydrocephalus - pediatric - ventriculoperitoneal
shunt