Peritoneal Shunts in the Management of Hydrocephalus

In a series of 133 patients with hydrocephalus for whom follow-up data is known, cerebrospinal fluid was shunted to the peritoneal cavity in 53. Forty-six of these were shunts from the lumbar subarachnoid space in patients with communicating hydrocephalus. In 40 patients, the procedure was felt to be of definite value either as the sole method of controlling the hydrocephalus for over ten years, or effective for a period of time sufficient to allow the patient to survive a crisis with intracranial hypertension. In 13 patients the method was a total failure.