Removal of ventricular shunts.
BACKGROUND
Although most patients with an implanted ventriculoperitoneal shunt device will require cerebrospinal fluid diversion over the course of their lifetime, there appears to be a small number of patients that are shunt independent and may benefit from shunt removal.


METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed 661 patients with hydrocephalus treated over a 10-year period at a single institution. In 10 patients, a systematic shunt weaning protocol was attempted before removal of the cerebrospinal fluid shunt.


RESULTS
Ten patients underwent an attempt at shunt removal. Seven of these patients were successfully weaned and 3 were not. The indications to attempt shunt removal for the 7 patients that were successfully weaned were recurrent complications and infections requiring multiple shunt externalizations and revisions in 4 patients, asymptomatic shunt disconnection in 2 patients, and symptomatic overdrainage in 1 patient. None of the patients that were successfully weaned had a history of shunt failure resulting in ventriculomegaly. Two of the 3 patients who failed shunt weaning attempts had a history of shunt failure that resulted in ventriculomegaly.


CONCLUSIONS
A small number of patients with shunted hydrocephalus may benefit from removal of their shunt.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., USA.
Wajd N
WN
Al-Holou
Jayson A
JA
Sack
Hugh J L
HJ
Garton
Karin M
KM
Muraszko
Cormac O
CO
Maher
D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000379:methods*; D020878:Device Removal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies