Epileptic seizure as a sign of cerebrospinal fluid shunt malfunction.
Epilepsy was evident in 308 of 817 (38%) children with shunted hydrocephalus. The first seizure occurred after shunting in 181 of 817 (22%), a median of 1.6 years after the original shunt procedure. The incidence of seizures was not statistically different in the parietooccipital, parietotemporal, or frontal region. Over a 15-year period, 16 of 544 (2.9%) visits to the emergency room for seizures culminated in shunt revision, and 16 of 1,831 (0.9%) shunt revisions were associated with a seizure. Although seizures in shunted patients are not uncommon, a seizure is seldom an indication of shunt malfunction.
Johnson
D L
DL
Children's Hospital, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University, Hershey, Pa., USA.
Conry
J
J
O'Donnell
R
R
D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015994:Incidence; D015995:Prevalence