Pineal Region Gliomas: A Systematic Review of Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To review the current literature on pineal region gliomas, summarizing the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were used to identify relevant articles. Comprehensive clinical characteristic review and survival analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Twelve studies describing 81 patients were included. The median age was 39 years (male=54.3%). Fifty patients (61.7%) had obstructive hydrocephalus requiring cerebrospinal fluid diversion with either ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) (40.0%) or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) (24.0%). Patients who underwent VPS had significant survival benefits compared to ETV (p<0.05). All patients in our review underwent surgery, and gross-total resection (≥98%) was achieved in 34.6%. The supracerebellar infratentorial approach was the most employed surgical approach (62.3%). Chemotherapy was administered in 32.1% of cases, and radiotherapy in 40.7%. The median overall survival (OS) was 12 months, and the overall one-year survival rate was 60%. CONCLUSION: This study could not establish a correlation between the extent of tumor resection and positive treatment outcomes. However, among cases with hydrocephalus, patients who underwent VPS placement had better survival as compared to ETV.

Ventriculo-peritoneal shunting devices for hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND: Hydrocephalus is a common neurological disorder, caused by a progressive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the intracranial space that can lead to increased intracranial pressure, enlargement of the ventricles (ventriculomegaly) and, consequently, to brain damage. Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt systems are the mainstay therapy for this condition, however there are different types of shunt systems. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness and adverse effects of conventional and complex shunt devices for CSF diversion in people with hydrocephalus. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2020 Issue 2); Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to February 2020); Embase (Elsevier) (1974 to February 2020); Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database (LILACS) (1980 to February 2020); ClinicalTrials.gov; and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. SELECTION CRITERIA: We selected randomised controlled trials or quasi-randomised trials of different types of ventriculo-peritoneal shunting devices for people with hydrocephalus. Primary outcomes included: treatment failure, adverse events and mortality. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors screened studies for selection, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Due to the scarcity of data, we performed a Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) incorporating GRADE for the quality of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We included six studies with 962 participants assessing the effects of standard valves compared to anti-syphon valves, other types of standard valves, self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves and external differential programmable pressure valves. All included studies started in a hospital setting and offered ambulatory follow-up. Most studies were conducted in infants or children with hydrocephalus from diverse causes. The certainty of the evidence for most comparisons was low to very low. 1. Standard valve versus anti-syphon valve Three studies with 296 randomised participants were included under this comparison. We are uncertain about the incidence of treatment failure in participants with standard valve and anti-syphon valves (very low certainty of the evidence). The incidence of adverse events may be similar in those with standard valves (range 0 to 1.9%) and anti-syphon valves (range 0 to 2.9%) (low certainty of the evidence). Mortality may be similar in those with standard valves (0%) and anti-syphon valves (0.9%) (RD 0.01%, 95% CI -0.02% to 0.03%, low certainty of the evidence). Ventricular size and head circumference may be similar in those with standard valves and anti-syphon valves (low certainty of the evidence). None of the included studies reported the quality of life of participants. 2. Comparison between different types of standard valves Two studies with 174 randomised participants were included under this comparison. We are uncertain about the incidence of treatment failure in participants with different types of standard valves (early postoperative period: RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.13 to 1.27; at 12 months follow-up: RR 1.17, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.92, very low certainty of the evidence). None of the included studies reported adverse events beyond those included under "treatment failure". We are uncertain about the effects of different types of standard valves on mortality (range 2% to 17%, very low certainty of the evidence). The included studies did not report the effects of these interventions on quality of life, ventricular size reduction or head circumference. 3. Standard valve versus self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valve One study with 229 randomised participants addressed this comparison. The incidence of treatment failure may be similar in those with standard valves (42.98%) and self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves (39.13%) (low certainty of the evidence). The incidence of adverse events may be similar in those with standard valves (range 0 to 1.9%) and those with self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves (range 0 to 7.2%) (low certainty of the evidence). The included study reported no deaths in either group in the postoperative period. Beyond the early postoperative period, the authors stated that nine patients died (no disaggregated data by each type of intervention was available, low certainty of the evidence). The included studies did not report the effects of these interventions on quality of life, ventricular size reduction or head circumference. 4. External differential programmable pressure valve versus non-programmable valve One study with 377 randomised participants addressed this comparison. The incidence of treatment failure may be similar in those with programmable valves (52%) and non-programmable valves (52%)  (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.24, low certainty of the evidence). The incidence of adverse events may be similar in those with programmable valves (6.19%) and non-programmable valves (6.01%) (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.44 to 2.15, low certainty of the evidence). The included study did not report the effect of these interventions on mortality, quality of life or head circumference. Ventricular size reduction may be similar in those with programmable valves and non-programmable valves (low certainty of the evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Standard shunt valves for hydrocephalus compared to anti-syphon or self-adjusting CSF flow-regulating valves may cause little to no difference on the main outcomes of this review, however we are very uncertain due to the low to very low certainty of evidence. Similarly, different types of standard valves and external differential programmable pressure valves versus non-programmable valves may be associated with similar outcomes. Nevertheless, this review did not include valves with the latest technology, for which we need high-quality randomised controlled trials focusing on patient-important outcomes including costs.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion in human immunodeficiency virus infected adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hydrocephalus is a common, life threatening complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related central nervous system opportunistic infection which can be treated by insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS). In HIV-infected patients there is concern that VPS might be associated with unacceptably high mortality. To identify prognostic indicators, we aimed to compare survival and clinical outcome following VPS placement between all studied causes of hydrocephalus in HIV infected patients. METHODS: The following electronic databases were searched: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, LILACS, Research Registry, the metaRegister of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, African Journals Online, and the OpenGrey database. We included observational studies of HIV-infected patients treated with VPS which reported of survival or clinical outcome. Data was extracted using standardised proformas. Risk of bias was assessed using validated domain-based tools. RESULTS: Seven Hunderd twenty-three unique study records were screened. Nine observational studies were included. Three included a total of 75 patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and six included a total of 49 patients with cryptococcal meningitis (CM). All of the CM and two of the TBM studies were of weak quality. One of the TBM studies was of moderate quality. One-month mortality ranged from 62.5-100% for CM and 33.3-61.9% for TBM. These pooled data were of low to very-low quality and was inadequate to support meta-analysis between aetiologies. Pooling of results from two studies with a total of 77 participants indicated that HIV-infected patients with TBM had higher risk of one-month mortality compared with HIV non-infected controls (odds ratio 3.03; 95% confidence-interval 1.13-8.12; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The evidence base is currently inadequate to inform prognostication in VPS insertion in HIV-infected patients. A population-based prospective cohort study is required to address this, in the first instance.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion for hydrocephalus in human immunodeficiency virus-infected adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

BACKGROUND: Hydrocephalus is a recognised complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related opportunistic infections. Symptomatic raised cerebrospinal fluid pressure can be treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion (VPS). In HIV-infected patients however, there is a concern that VPS might be associated with unacceptably high rates of mortality. We aim to systematically review and appraise published literature to determine reported outcomes and identify predictors of outcome following VPS in relevant subgroups of HIV-infected adults. METHODS: The following electronic databases will be searched: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), LILACS (BIREME), Research Registry ( www.researchregistry.com ), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) ( www.controlled-trials.com ), ClinicalTrials.gov ( www.clinicaltrials.gov ) and OpenSIGLE database. Any randomised studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, interrupted time series or sequential case series reporting survival following VPS in HIV-infected individuals will be included. If high-quality homogenous studies exist, meta-analysis will be conducted to determine 1-, 6- and 12-month mortality with comparison made between underlying aetiologies of hydrocephalus. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study will generate a comprehensive review of VPS in HIV-infected patients for publication. The primary outcome of meta-analysis is 12-month survival. If only low-quality, heterogeneous studies are available, this study will demonstrate this deficiency and will be of value in justifying and aiding the design of future studies. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016052239.

Analysis of factors affecting ventriculoperitoneal shunt survival in pediatric patients.

PURPOSE: Management of hydrocephalus with insertion of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is associated with significant complications in both adult and pediatric patients. These may be more common in developing countries due to poor economic conditions and a dearth of available resources. We report a 6 years' experience with VP shunt insertion in pediatric patients from a developing country, focusing particularly on factors affecting shunt failure. METHODS: Patients aged below 15 years, who had undergone insertion of VP shunts for hydrocephalus during the years 2006 to 2011, were included. A retrospective analysis of shunt survival was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Logrank (Cox-Mantel) test. RESULTS: Among the total 113 patients, the most common etiologies of hydrocephalus were congenital hydrocephalus (19.5 %), brain tumors (14.2 %), and postcranial surgery (13.3 %). Overall shunt failure at a mean follow-up of 11 months was 23 % with the median time to first shunt failure being 68 days. Shunt survival was worse in patients with meningitis (p = 0.024), aqueductal stenosis (p = 0.008), postcranial surgery hydrocephalus (p = 0.006), Caesarean mode of delivery (p = 0.036), congenital abnormalities (p = 0.031), and a past history of surgical excision of mass lesion (p = 0.044).Frequency of shunt failure was also significantly affected by the location of brain tumor (p = 0.015) and prematurity (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Premature infants still have a higher rate of shunt failure. Patients with meningitis, aqueductal stenosis, postcranial surgery hydrocephalus, congenital abnormalities, and a past history of surgical excision of mass lesion may have early shunt failure. However, the frequency of shunt failure that we observed (23 %) was much lower than that quoted earlier in the literature and this may be a consequence of rigorous periodic evaluation of patients with VP shunt in situ.

Shunt survival after failed endoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus.

OBJECT: It is not known whether previous endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) affects the risk of shunt failure. Different epochs of hydrocephalus treatment at the CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda (CCHU)-initially placing CSF shunts in all patients, then attempting ETV in all patients, and finally attempting ETV combined with choroid plexus cauterization (CPC) in all patients-provided the opportunity to assess whether prior endoscopic surgery affected shunt survival. METHODS: With appropriate institutional approvals, the authors reviewed the CCHU clinical database to identify 2329 patients treated for hydrocephalus from December 2000 to May 2007. Initial ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement was performed in 900 patients under one of three circumstances: 1) primary nonselective VP shunt placement with no endoscopy (255 patients); 2) VP shunt placement at the time of abandoned ETV attempt (with or without CPC) (370 patients); 3) VP shunt placement subsequent to a completed but failed ETV (with or without CPC) (275 patients). We analyzed time to shunt failure using the Kaplan-Meier method to construct survival curves, Cox proportional hazards regression modeling, and risk-adjusted analyses to account for possible confounding differences among these groups. RESULTS: Shunt failure occurred in 299 patients, and the mean duration of follow-up for the remaining 601 was 28.7 months (median 18.8, interquartile range 4.1-46.3). There was no significant difference in operative mortality (p = 0.07 by log-rank and p = 0.14 by Cox regression adjusted for age and hydrocephalus etiology) or shunt infection (p = 0.94, log-rank) among the 3 groups. There was no difference in shunt survival between patients treated with primary shunt placement and those who underwent shunt placement at the time of an abandoned ETV attempt (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.14, 95% CI 0.86-1.51, p = 0.35). Those who underwent shunt placement after a completed but failed ETV (with or without CPC) had a lower risk of shunt failure (p = 0.008, log-rank), with a hazard ratio (adjusted for age at shunting and etiology) of 0.72 (95% CI 0.53-0.98), p = 0.03, compared with those who underwent primary shunt placement without endoscopy; but this was observed only in patients with postinfectious hydrocephalus (PIH) (adjusted HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.36-0.85, p = 0.007), and no effect was apparent for hydrocephalus of noninfectious etiologies (adjusted HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.64-1.50, p = 0.92). Improved shunt survival after failed ETV in the PIH group may be an artifact of selection arising from the inherent heterogeneity of ventricular damage within that group, or a consequence of the timing of shunt placement. The anticipated benefit of CPC in preventing future ventricular catheter obstruction was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: A paradigm for infant hydrocephalus involving intention to treat by ETV with or without CPC had no adverse effect on mortality or on subsequent shunt survival or infection risk. This study failed to demonstrate a positive effect of prior ETV or CPC on shunt survival.

Endoscopic surgery for intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) caused by thalamic hemorrhage: comparisons of endoscopic surgery and external ventricular drainage (EVD) surgery.

BACKGROUND: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) caused by thalamic hemorrhage has high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and the results of endoscopic surgery for the evacuation of IVH caused by thalamic hemorrhage compared with that of external ventricular drainage (EVD) surgery. METHODS: From January 2006 to December 2008, 48 patients with IVH caused by thalamic hemorrhage were enrolled and treated in our department. Patients with IVH caused by thalamic hemorrhage who also resulted in acute hydrocephalus were indicated for surgery; the patients who were included were randomly divided into an EVD group and an endoscopic surgery group. The clinical evaluation data included the Glasgow Coma Scale, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, age, intracerebral hemorrhage volume, and severity of IVH. Outcome was measured using the 30-day and 90-day mortality rate, ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt dependent rate, and Glasgow Outcome Scale after three months. RESULTS: The clinical features of the 24 patients in each group showed no significant differences in age or Glasgow Coma Scale assessment on admission. There was also no significant difference in intracerebral hemorrhage volume or Graeb score between the endoscopic group and the EVD group. The length of ICU stay was 11 ± 5 days in the endoscopic surgery group and 18 ± 7 days in the EVD group. The endoscopic surgery group had a shorter ICU stay (P = 0.04) compared with the EVD group. The 30-day and 90-day mortality rates were 12.5% and 20.8% in the endoscopic surgery group and 12.5% and 16.6% in the EVD group, respectively. The mean Glasgow Outcome Scale score was 3.08 ± 1.38 in the endoscopic surgery group and 3.33 ± 1.40 in the EVD group. Outcome significantly correlated with initial consciousness level; the severity of IVH did not influence the outcome in all of the cases. There was no significant difference in mortality rate or outcome between the endoscopic group and the EVD group. The VP shunt rates were 47.62% in the endoscopic surgery group and 90.48% in the EVD group. Endoscopic surgery group had a significant lower VP shunt rate (P = 0.002; odds rate = 9.8) compared with the EVD group. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic surgery was found to have significantly lower shunt-dependent hydrocephalus, and the ICU stay was shorter compared with EVD surgery. This can decrease the need for permanent VP shunts in patients with IVH caused by thalamic hemorrhage.

Outcomes of ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion in Sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECT: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts in Sub-Saharan Africa are traditionally associated with high complication rates and poor outcomes. The aim of this study was to review one large institutional experience with VP shunts, to evaluate the feasibility of shunt insertion procedures with acceptable long-term outcomes in Africa, and to identify factors correlated with good and/or poor outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the charts of all children who underwent primary (93%) or subsequent VP shunt insertions at the Kijabe Hospital between November 2004 and March 2007. Epidemiological data, clinical investigations, etiology of the hydrocephalus, details of the VP shunt insertion, outcome at follow-up, and morbidity and mortality data were collected. Outcomes were graded as good, fair, or poor, according to visual, motor, and seizure criteria. RESULTS: The authors analyzed 593 VP shunt insertions in 574 patients. The sex distribution was 53% male and 47% female. The mean age at shunt insertion was 8.5 months (range 0­309 months). The commonest etiologies for hydrocephalus were spina bifida (43.4%) and postinfectious (27.7%). Follow-up was available in 76% of children, with a mean follow-up period of 8.9 months (range 2­30.5 months). The median patient age was 3.3 months. The overall shunt function rate at 2 years was 65%, and the complication rate per procedure was 20%, with infection encountered in 9.1% and shunt malfunction in 11%. Complications were significantly related to hydrocephalus etiology and to sex (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively). Overall outcomes were good in 40.2% and poor in 59.8%. Overall mortality in the group was 7.1%. Younger patients who survived had an overall good outcome (p = 0.0001). Only 10% of patients with a head circumference greater than 60 cm had a good outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limited resources, VP shunt procedures can be carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa with acceptable complication rates and fair long-term outcomes.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy versus ventriculoperitoneal shunt in pediatric patients: a decision analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Uncertainty persists on the best treatment for patients with obstructive hydrocephalus: endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) or shunt, particularly in the younger age groups. We performed decision analysis for quality of life (QOL) outcomes comparing these two procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Frequency of outcome events for ETV was obtained from the Canadian Pediatric Neurosurgery Study Group (368 patients) and for shunts from two prospective randomized trials, the Shunt Design Trial and the Endoscopic Shunt Insertion Trial (647 patients combined). Quality-adjusted life year (QALY) estimates for various outcomes were obtained from the literature. Decision analysis was performed at 1 year of follow-up for specific age groups, e.g., <1 month, 1-6 months, etc. RESULTS: Failure from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion from either procedure was a function of age with higher failures rates in younger patients. Expected QALY at 1 year were marginally higher for ETV for all age groups, but the outcomes were similar enough to be regarded as equivalent. The results, however, were highly sensitive to the assigned health utility value estimates for patients who are well with a functioning ETV or shunt and the severe complication rate from ETV. CONCLUSION: Age is a major determinant of outcome from CSF diversion with worse outcomes in young patients. QALY estimates for either ETV or shunt are similar at 1 year.

Placement of gastrostomy tubes in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts does not result in increased incidence of shunt infection or decreased survival.

The objective of this study was to examine if G-tube (G-tube) placement in patients with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts results in shunt infection or impacts patient survival. We performed a retrospective cohort study. Patients underwent VP shunt and G-tube placement. Incidence of shunt infection and patient survival were calculated. Fifty-five patients qualified for the study. Shunt infection occurred in seven patients (12.5%). The incidence of shunt infection did not differ between surgically placed G-tubes (2/7=29%) and PEG tubes (5/7=71%; P=0.69). There was no difference in the risk of VP infection based on the order of placement (OR=0.61 [0.12-3.02]; P=0.69). No predictors for shunt infection were identified. Kaplan-Meier mortality estimates demonstrated a 21% 1-year mortality rate. There were no predictors of patient survival. We conclude that placement of G-tubes in patients with shunts is safe. The order of placement of G-tube and VP shunt does not affect the incidence of shunt infection or survival.

Lumboperitoneal shunts: review of 409 cases.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A prospective study was carried out to evaluate the lumboperitoneal shunt procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four hundred and nine patients having communicating hydrocephalus were selected for the procedure during a 10-year period from March 1992 to February 2002. The average follow-up was 45.34 months. RESULTS: Tubercular meningitis (TBM)-related hydrocephalus was detected in 285 patients. Forty per cent of the patients were less than 15 years of age. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of less than 8 was seen in 40% patients and 14.9% patients were in GCS 13-15. At the time of discharge 56.7% patients improved in their GCS to 13 -15 and 14.9% were in GCS 8 or less. The overall mortality was 5.13% and shunt-related mortality was seen in 2% patients. Shunt malfunction requiring revision was seen in 32 patients (7.8%) and the total number of shunt revisions was 44 (11%). Shunt infection was noted in 3.4% patients. CSF leak at the lumbar end occurred in 12 patients. Four patients required conversion of LP shunt to VP shunt. CONCLUSIONS: Lumboperitoneal shunt is an effective shunting procedure in communicating hydrocephalus.

In-hospital mortality rates after ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures in the United States, 1998 to 2000: relation to hospital and surgeon volume of care.

OBJECT: Death after ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery is uncommon, and therefore it has been difficult to study. The authors used a population-based national hospital discharge database to examine the relationship between annual hospital and surgeon volume of VP shunt surgery in pediatric patients and in-hospital mortality rates. METHODS: All children in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998-2000, age 90 days-18 years) who underwent VP shunt placement or shunt revision as the principal procedure were included. Main outcome measures were in-hospital mortality rates, length of stay (LOS), and total hospital charges. Overall, 5955 admissions were analyzed (253 hospitals, 411 surgeons). Mortality rates were lower at high-volume centers and for high-volume surgeons. In terms of hospital volume, the mortality rate was 0.8% at lowest-quartile-volume centers (< 28 admissions/year) and 0.3% at highest-quartile-volume centers (> 121 admissions/year). In terms of surgeon volume, the mortality rate was 0.8% for lowest-quartile-volume providers (< nine admissions/year) and 0.1% for highest-quartile-volume providers (> 65 admissions/year). After multivariate adjustment for demographic variables, emergency admission and presence of infection, hospital volume of care remained a significant predictor of death (odds ratio [OR] for a 10-fold increase in caseload 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18-0.81). Surgeon volume of care was statistically significant in a similar multivariate model (OR for a 10-fold increase in caseload 0.3; 95% CI 0.13-0.69). Length of stay was slightly shorter and total hospital charges were slightly higher at higher-volume centers, but the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric shunt procedures performed at high-volume hospitals or by high-volume surgeons were associated with lower in-hospital mortality rates, with no significant difference in LOS or hospital charges.

Risk factors for repeated cerebrospinal shunt failures in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus.

OBJECT: Repeated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt failures in pediatric patients are common, and they are a significant cause of morbidity and, occasionally, of death. To date, the risk factors for repeated failure have not been established. By performing survival analysis for repeated events, the authors examined the effects of patient characteristics, shunt hardware, and surgical details in a large cohort of patients. METHODS: During a 10-year period all pediatric patients with hydrocephalus requiring CSF diversion procedures were included in a prospective single-institution observational study. Patient characteristics were defined as age, gender, weight, head circumference, American Society of Anesthesiology class, and cause of hydrocephalus. Surgical details included whether the procedure was performed on an emergency or nonemergency basis, use of antibiotic agents, concurrent surgical procedures, and duration of the surgical procedure. Details on shunt hardware included: the type of shunt, the valve system, whether the shunt system included multiple or complex components, the type of distal catheter, the site of the shunt, and the side on which the shunt was placed. Repeated shunt failures were assessed using multivariable time-to-event analysis (by using the Cox regression model). Conditional models (as established by Prentice, et al.) were formulated for gap times (that is, times between successive shunt failures). There were 1183 shunt failures in 839 patients. Failure time from the first shunt procedure was an important predictor for the second and third episodes of failure, thus establishing an association between the times to failure within individual patients. An age younger than 40 weeks gestation at the time of the first shunt implantation carried a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.49 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68-3.68) for the first failure, which remained high for subsequent episodes of failure. An age from 40 weeks gestation to 1 year (at the time of the initial surgery) also proved to be an important predictor of first shunt malfunctions (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.29-2.44). The cause of hydrocephalus was significantly associated with the risk of initial failure and, to a lesser extent, later failures. Concurrent other surgical procedures were associated with an increased risk of failure. CONCLUSIONS: The patient's age at the time of initial shunt placement and the time interval since previous surgical revision are important predictors of repeated shunt failures in the multivariable model. Even after adjusting for age at first shunt insertion as well as the cause of hydrocephalus, there is significant association between repeated failure times for individual patients.

Derivaciones ventrículo peritoneales: frecuencia de infección y gérmen causal / Ventricular peritoneal devices: frecuency of infection and causal germ

Las infecciones representan un problema en pacientes portadores de derivaciones ventrículo peritoneales (DVP), aumentando en ellos la morbilidad. La incidencia de infección de 20,77 por ciento en nuestro estudio y la incidencia reportada en la literatura mundial de 30 por ciento es alarmante y ameritaría una revisión. Los gérmenes involucrados en la génesis de la infecciónen sistemas de DVP son los estafilococos y los bacilos Gram negativos. La amplia variedad de infecciones que se presentan en estos pacientes fueron revisadas en este estudio