Role of Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in Shunt Malfunction

Background Shunt placement was a standard treatment for patients with hydrocephalus. The risk of shunt malfunction is quite high. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for hydrocephalus is an important advancement for patients with hydrocephalus. The aim is to study the role of ETV in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction. Methods A prospective study of 21 patients with shunt malfunction, who underwent secondary ETV instead of shunt revision, was conducted in Department of Neurosurgery, PGIMER, and Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi. Patients data included age, cause of hydrocephalus, number of previous shunt surgeries, and outcome after ETV. Shunt was removed in all patients at the time of ETV. Success was defined as shunt independence till the last follow-up. Results There were 17 males and 4 females. The age range was 2 months to 53 years. Eleven patients had communicating and 10 patients had noncommunicating hydrocephalus. Overall success rate of ETV was 61.90% with 80% (8/10) in noncommunicating and 45.45% (5/11) in communicating hydrocephalus. None of the possible contributing factors for successful ETV, including age (p = 0.088), the etiology of hydrocephalus (p = 0.296), and number of previous shunt surgeries (p = 0.399), were statistically significantly correlated with outcome in our series. Overall complication rate was 14.2%. No death was reported. Conclusion ETV is an effective alternative for patients who present with shunt malfunction. Age, etiology, type of hydrocephalus, and number of shunt revisions did not have a significant impact on outcome of ETV.

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The role of endoscopic third ventriculostomy in adult patients with hydrocephalus

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/2008.10.jns17667 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 110 (5) ◽

pp. 861-866 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Michael D. Jenkinson ◽

Caroline Hayhurst ◽

Mohammed Al-Jumaily ◽

Jothy Kandasamy ◽

Simon Clark ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy ◽

Shunt Infection ◽

Adult Patients ◽

Shunt Malfunction ◽

Primary Group ◽

Third Ventriculostomy ◽

Aqueduct Stenosis ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Shunt Independence

Object Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is the treatment of choice for hydrocephalus, but the outcome is dependent on the cause of this disorder, and the procedure remains principally the preserve of pediatric neurosurgeons. The role of ETV in adult patients with hydrocephalus was therefore investigated. Methods One hundred ninety adult patients underwent ETV for hydrocephalus. Cases were defined as primary ETV (newly diagnosed, without a previously placed shunt) and secondary ETV (performed for shunt malfunctions due to infection or mechanical blockage). Causes of hydrocephalus included tumor, long-standing overt ventriculomegaly (LOVA), Chiari malformation Types I and II (CM-I and -II), aqueduct stenosis, spina bifida, and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Successful ETV was defined as resolution of symptoms with shunt independence. Operative complications and ETV failure rate were investigated according to the causes of hydrocephalus and between the primary and secondary ETV groups. Results In the primary group, ETV was successful in 107 (83%) of 129 patients, including those with tumors (52 of 66), LOVA (21 of 24), CM-I (11 of 11 cases), CM-II (8 of 9), aqueduct stenosis (8 of 9), and IVH (2 of 2). In the secondary group, ETV was successful in 41 (67%) of 61 patients and was equally successful in cases of mechanical shunt malfunction (35 of 52 patients) and infected shunt malfunction (6 of 9 patients). The median time to ETV failure was 1.7 months in the primary group and 0.5 months in the secondary group. The majority of ETV failures occurred within the first 3 months, and thereafter, the Kaplan-Meier survival curves plateaued. There were no procedure-related deaths, and complications were seen in only 5.8% of cases. Conclusions The success rate of ETVs in adults is comparable, if not better, than in children. In addition to the well-defined role of ETV in the treatment of hydrocephalus caused by tumors and aqueduct stenosis, ETV may also have a role in the management of CM-I, LOVA, persistent shunt infection, and IVH resistant to other CSF diversion procedures.

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ENDOSCOPIC THIRD VENTRICULOSTOMY (ETV) IS A BETTER ALTERNATIVE FOR VP SHUNT FAILURE IN NON-COMMUNICATING HYDROCEPHALUS

10.36106/ijar/9302582 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 65-67

Author(s):

Ramesh Tanger ◽

Dinesh Kumar Barolia ◽

Arka Chatterjee ◽

Punit Singh Parihar ◽

Arun Gupta

Keyword(s):

Success Rate ◽

Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy ◽

Obstructive Hydrocephalus ◽

Shunt Revision ◽

Third Ventriculostomy ◽

Communicating Hydrocephalus ◽

Shunt Failure ◽

Shunt Insertion ◽

Vp Shunt

CONTEXT: VP Shunt is most commonly used procedure for hydrocephalus but shunt failure is also the common complication in many patients. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is an accepted procedure for the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. The aim of our study is to evaluate the success rate AIM AND OBJECTIVE - of ETV in patients of obstructive hydrocephalus formerly treated by ventriculo-peritoneal (VP shunt) shunt. The failure VP shunt was removed before ETV. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This study was conducted between June 2015 and December 2019 in single unit of our department. Twenty one (n=21) patients were enrolled for this study. All patients were admitted with failure of VP shunt. They were known case of non-communicating hydrocephalus previously operated for VP shunt. Six patients were excluded for ETV because CT/MRI show grossly distorted anatomy of ventricles. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy was attempted in 15 patients, but ventriculostomy was done successfully in 10 patients, rests were treated with revision of VP shunt. All patients in this study were radiologically diagnosed RESULTS: case of hydrocephalus due to aqueduct stenosis. They were experienced VP shunt insertion but there were failure of shunt due to any reason. ETV procedures were done successfully in 10 patients. Out of 10 patients one patient needed shunt insertion due ineffective ETV. Shunt revision was done in 11 patients. There was no serious complication during and after ETV procedures. The follow-up period of patients with successful ETV was 6–60 months. This follow-up was uneventful and peaceful for their parents. ETV can be considered as an alternative treatment for the patients w CONCLUSION: ith VP shunt failure with an acceptable success rate of 80%, although long-term follow-up is needed for these patients.

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