Ventriculoperitoneal shunting

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Craniotomy for cerebral shunt

Ventricles of the brain

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Ask your doctor or nurse about eating and drinking before the surgery. The general guidelines are:

• Older children should not eat any food or drink any milk for 6 hours before surgery, but they can have clear fluids (juice or water) up until 4 hours before the operation.
• Infants younger than 12 months can usually eat formula, cereal, or baby food until about 6 hours before surgery. They may have clear fluids up until 4 hours before the operation.

Your doctor may ask you to wash your child with a special soap on the morning of the surgery. Rinse well after using this soap.

Your child will need to lie flat for 24 hours the first time a shunt placed. After that your child will be helped to sit up.

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The usual stay in the hospital is 3 to 4 days.The doctor will check vital signs and neurological status often. Your child may get medication for pain. Intravenous fluids and antibiotics are given. The shunt will be checked to make sure it is working properly.

Shunt placement is usually successful in reducing pressure in the brain. But if hydrocephalus is related to other conditions, such as spina bifida, brain tumor, meningitis, encephalitis, or hemorrhage, these conditions could affect the prognosis. The severity of hydrocephalus present before surgery will also affect the outcome.

Support groups for families of children with hydrocephalus or spina bifida are available in most areas.

The major complications to watch for are an infected shunt and a blocked shunt.

Review Date: 11/22/2010
Reviewed By: Kevin Sheth, MD, Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).