Lumbar spinal fluid drainage is a common procedure to reduce the risks of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula after skull base fractures or various transdural neurosurgical procedures. Nevertheless, this simple and effective technique can lead to overdrainage and CSF hypovolaemia. This report describes the case of a young patient who had a lumbar drain inserted, to avoid CSF fistula after a pteri...

Various types of shunt valves have been developed during the past 50 years, most of which can be classified into the following categories: (1) fixed differential pressure valves; (2) fixed differential pressure (DP) valves with an antisiphon mechanism; (3) programmable DP valves; (4) programmable DP valves with an antisiphon mechanism; and (5) programmable antisiphon valves. When considering th...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the management of childhood hydrocephalus using the 'catheter à fentes' as a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective study from January 2003 to January 2004 was carried out in the Neurosurgery Department of the National Hospital Niamey (Niger-Republic). Ninety-six infants with hydrocephalus, between the ages of 1 to 22 months were treated with 'ca...

Reprint requests: Anthony Marmarou, Ph.D., Department of Neurosurgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1001 East Broad Street, Suite 235, P.O. Box 980508, Richmond, VA 23298-0508. Email: [email protected] OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence-based guidelines for surgical management of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (INPH). Compared with the diagnostic phase, the surgical...

Radiation Risk Due to Shunted Hydrocephalus and the Role of MR Imaging–Safe Programmable Valves Diagnostic radiology is a double-edged sword: While providing critical information that forms the basis of treatment, it adds to the risk associated with cumulative radiation given to the patient. Shunted hydrocephalus exemplifies this conundrum. Hydrocephalus is a common neurosurgical condition that...