title: The changing face of paediatric hydrocephalus: a decade's experience.
abstract: All 253 children receiving neurosurgical intervention for hydrocephalus (HCP) at a single British Neurosurgical Unit over a decade were investigated by retrospective case note review. Referral rates and mean age at presentation remained stable throughout, as did proportions of children presenting due to myelomeningocoele or meningitis. Comparing the first and second halves of the decade, the predominant aetiologies (intraventricular haemorrhage [IVH] at <1 year and brain tumour at 1-16 years) reduced from comprising half (70/129) of all cases to just over one-third (43/124). Other significant changes included a 45% reduction in neonatal IVH and a 179% increase in rare miscellaneous disorders. Outcome after 4 years of follow-up for all patients showed 44.4% without deficit, 11.9% with non-cognitive neurological deficits only, 11.5% with cognitive impairment only, 13.5% with both cognitive and neurological impairments, and 15.5% mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The Radcliffe Infirmary, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Erlick A C
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pike
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D009017:Morbidity; D012086:Reoperation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*