title: Factors related to shunt survival in paediatric hydrocephalus. Could failure be avoided?
abstract: Improved shunt survival and a better understanding of factors related to failure in paediatric hydrocephalus still pose a challenge for neurosurgeons, in order to avoid morbidity and mortality, as well as the economic impact of repeated revision surgeries. For these reasons, an analysis is performed on the factors related to the first shunt failure in the long-term follow-up of a series in a single centre.
  
  
  
  A retrospective review was conducted on 166 hydrocephalic paediatric patients shunted for the first time between 2000 and 2014. An analysis was made of the statistical relationships between first shunt failure and the demographic, aetiological, surgical and clinical variables.
  
  
  
  Of the 166 shunts implanted in our centre during the study period, 111 required revision over a mean follow-up period of 93 months. Factors significantly related to failure were post-haemorrhagic and post-infectious hydrocephalus, meningitis episode, posterior burr hole, differential pressure valve, standard catheter in first surgery, and symptomatic over-drainage. Multivariable analysis showed that previous meningitis and symptomatic over-drainage were risk factors for shunt failure, whereas frontal burr hole location and antibiotic-impregnated catheters were protective factors. Cox regression determined that independent factors significantly related to a worse shunt survival, were shunt infection and symptomatic over-drainage.
  
  
  
  Meningitis, symptomatic over-drainage, frontal burr hole, and antibiotic impregnated catheters are significant prognostic factors for shunt survival. Shunt infection and symptomatic over-drainage are independent factors significantly related to a shorter shunt survival. Prospective, randomised, controlled trials are required to validate these results.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: siglesias95@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Bienvenido
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Álvaro
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.affiliation: Statistics Department, Universidad de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rius
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Department, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Arráez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000150:complications; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects
keywords: Factor de riesgo; Fallo valvular; Hydrocephalus; Meningitis; Outcome; Over-drainage; Pronóstico; Risk factor; Shunt failure; Sobredrenaje