COMPLICATIONS OF VENTRICULOPERITONEAL SHUNT IN PEDIATRIC POPULATION

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Disorders of the central nervous system can be very distressing at any time of life, particularly in children. Hydrocephalus is the most common problem encountered by pediatric neurosurgeons and is a disorder for which there is no absolute cure. Still most common and effective treatment of hydrocephalus in practice is a surgical placement of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. This study was conducted to determine frequency of different types of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt complications in pediatric population. 
METHODS: This cross sectional study was conducted at DHQ Teaching Hospital Gomal Medical College D.I.Khan, Pakistan from 20-11-2014 to 20 -11-2015. All those patients who were operated for hydrocephalus with ventriculo peritoneal shunt inserted, aged 5 months to 12 years, were included. While patients operated for other pathologies with no ventriculoperitoneal shunts were excluded. Patient’s particulars and any complication of shunt were documented on a predesigned proforma. Patients were followed till 6 months post operatively. Spss version 20 was used for data analysis and represented in the form of graphs and charts. 
RESULTS: Total 97 patients were included in the study in which males to females ratio was 1.55:1 .Patients were in the age range of 5 months to 12 years and mean age was 4.5 ± 5SD. The most common etiology of hydrocephalus was aqueductal stenosis having 58(59.79 %) followed by the myelomeningocele related in 17(17.52%) cases. Complications uptill 6 months post operatively were 12(12.37 %) cases of shunt obstruction, 5(5.15 %) patients developed shunt infection while seizures and exteriorization of lower end of shunt occurred in 2(2.06%) of cases.
CONCLUSION: The leading cause of hydrocephalus in pediatric population is aqueductal stenosis while post operative patients of ventriculo-peritoneal shunts mostly deteriorate due to shunt obstruction. 
KEY WORDS: Complications, Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunt, Shunt Obstruction, Shunt Infection.