
ventriculo-venous shunts for infantile hydrocephalus
a review of 48 hydrocephalic patients
treated with atrioventricular shunts during a
5-year period has been presented.  we have
discussed function of the shunt, complica-
tions of the procedure, and revisions neces-
sitated by nonfunctioning.  the overall 75
per cent survival rate and 14.3 per cent in-
fection rate is comparable to that in other
series.  the major cause of death in our pa-
tients has been infection.
our experience to date supports the ob-
servation that spontaneous arrest of the hy-
drocephalic process does not occur once a
ventriculo-venous shunt has been estab-
lished.
meticulous introduction of a ventriculo-
venous shunt appears to be the present treat-
ment of choice for patients with severe hy-
drocephalus.  results are only satisfactory
when the patients are carefully followed
and complications recognized and treated
promptly.
