ABSTRACT
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.
Subject(s)
Glasgow Coma Scale , Humans , Hydrocephalus/etiology , Lumbosacral Region , Prospective Studies , Tuberculosis, Meningeal/complications , Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt/mortalityABSTRACT
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