Pattern of complications and presenting features in patients implanted ventriculoperitoneal shunt due to hydrocephalus

Objective: this study is conducted to document the major complications and presenting features of ventriculoperitoneal shunt. study design: prospective observational. setting: department of neurosurgery isra university hospital hyderabad over a period of two years from january 2009 to december 2011. methodology: 40 children of either gender under the age of 12 years presented with signs and symptoms of shunt malfunction,that passed either for communicating or noncommunicating hydrocephalus,were enrolled. all patients after the admission underwent a complete clinical assessment including a detailed history and examination with particular emphasis on neurological examination. on the basis of clinical findings and investigations a final diagnosis was made and treatment in individual cases was planned accordingly. data was analyzed by using the statistical package of social sciences (spss) version 16. descriptive statistics were presented as frequency and percentages. results: among total of 40 patients,majority were males (52.5%). most of the patients were under the age of one year (52.5%) and majority developed complication in the first 3 months after vp shunt insertion (35%). poor feeding (50%),nausea & vomiting (45%),bulging fontanallae (45%),and dilated scalp veins (40%) were the most common presenting complaints observed. most common complication of vp shunt was obstruction of shunt (52.5%). conclusion: a shunt implantation should be considered as a major operation,carried out by a senior neurosurgeon experienced in shunt insertion,with maximum vigilance to prevent infection and mechanical complications. © 2014,liaquat university of medical and health sciences. all rights reserved.