Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Surgery for Hydrocephalus: One of the Common Neurosurgical Procedures and Its Related Problems

Objective This study was conducted to assess the outcome in patients with hydrocephalus who underwent ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery. Methods This retrospective study was conducted at the neurosurgery department of a tertiary care hospital. The time frame was three years and five months from January 2017 to May 2020 with a follow-up of six months. Results This study included 1030 patients, out of whom 64.2% were male and 35.8% were female. While the majority of the patients were more than 11 years of age (466), age did not have any significant impact on the outcome of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery. The most common cause of hydrocephalus was congenital (47.6%). A good outcome was seen in 63.4%, mortality was 10.6%, and complications were identified for 25.8%. The underlying pathology had a significant impact on the outcome in our study (p-value < 0.05) where the congenital cause of hydrocephalus showed a better outcome than any other cause. Conclusion Ventriculoperitoneal shunt is a good way to manage hydrocephalus, but there is always a high risk of complications.