title: Long-term reliability of endoscopic third ventriculostomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the short-term operative success and the long-term reliability of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for treatment of hydrocephalus and to examine the influence of diagnosis, age, and previous shunt history on these outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed 203 consecutive patients from a single institution who had ETV as long as 22.6 years earlier. Patients with hydrocephalus from aqueduct stenosis, myelomeningocele, tumors, arachnoid cysts, previous infection, or hemorrhage were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall probability of successfully performing an ETV was 89% (84-93%). There was support for an association between the surgical success and the individual operating surgeon (odds ratios for success, 0.44-1.47 relative to the mean of 1.0, P = 0.08). We observed infections in 4.9%, transient major complications in 7.2%, and major and permanent complications in 1.1% of 203 procedures. Age was strongly associated with long-term reliability. The longest observed reliability for the 13 patients 0 to 1 month old was 3.5 years. The statistical model predicted the following reliability at 1 year after insertion: at 0 to 1 month of age, 31% (14-53%); at 1 to 6 months of age, 50% (32-68%); at 6 to 24 months of age, 71% (55-85%); and more than 24 months of age, 84% (79-89%). There was no support for an association between reliability and the diagnostic group (n = 181, P = 0.168) or a previous shunt. Sixteen patients had ETV repeated, but only 9 were repeated after at least 6 months. Of these, 4 procedures failed within a few weeks, and 2 patients were available for long-term follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age was the only factor statistically associated with the long-term reliability of ETV. Patients less than 6 months old had poor reliability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kadrian
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Gelder
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Florida
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vonau
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teo
authors.forename: Warwick
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stening
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kwok