The incidence of epilepsy after ventricular shunting procedures.
One hundred eighty of 207 consecutive patients with ventricular shunts were studied to determine the incidence of post-shunt epilepsy. Of these 17 (9.4%) developed seizures. The incidence fell from 15.2% in children younger than 1 year to 6.9% in patients over 50 years of age, but age was not statistically significant. Of patients with a parietal ventricular catheterization site only 6.6% had convulsions, in contrast to 54.5% of those with a frontal locus. The incidence of seizures rose with multiple ventricular catheter revisions, but was unrelated to bilaterality of shunting. The risk of seizures fell from 5% in the 1st year after shunting to 1.1% after the 3rd year.
Dan
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Wade
M J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged