Complications of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunting in Pediatric Hydrocephalus: Risk Factors for Revision and Catheter-Related Obstruction

Objective: The frequency and etiology of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt complications and revisions in pediatric hydrocephalus, and the catheter predictors of obstruction were studied. Methods: The retrospective analysis of the records was conducted on 124 children (20162023) with VP sholding, analyzing etiology, complications, and revisions; these were: catheter measurements and head circumference ratios. Findings: There were changes in 28.2%. The most common was infection (21.7%), then the ventricular catheter obstruction (12.0%), and the distal obstruction (7.2%). Infants with a duration of less than 1 month were the ones who had the largest revision rate (31.8%). Obstruction was related to shorter intraventricular catheter length (p<0.001). Conclusion: VP shunting has a high risk of complication particularly in neonates and myelomeningocele.