Using ‘Catheter à Fentes’ for Management of Childhood Hydrocephalus: A Prospective Study of Ninety-six Cases

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the management of childhood hydrocephalus using the ‘catheter à fentes’ as a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study from January 2003 to January 2004 was carried out in the Neurosurgery Department of the National Hospital Niamey (Niger-Republic). Ninety-six infants with hydrocephalus, between the ages of 1 to 22 months were treated with ‘catheter à fentes’ as a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. RESULTS: Ninety-six infants with hydrocephalus, between the ages of 1 and 22 months were included in this study, over a period of 31 months; 53% of the infants were females. The symptoms evolved over three months in 89.55% of the cases (n = 85). Hydrocephalus was post-infective in 51% of the cases, associated with spina bifida in 32% of the cases, neonatal bleeding in 7.2% of the cases; brain abnormalities were found in 6.2%, and tumor in 3.1% of the cases. The head circumference was greater than 2SD in all cases; 87.53% of the infants had psychomotor retardation (less than 80 QD according to the Lezine score). Ventricular dilation was triventricular in 17.70% and tetra ventricular in 82.29% of the cases. ‘Catheter à fentes’ models of high pressure, medium pressure, and low pressure were used. Hydrodynamic complications (hyperdrainage, obstruction, underdrainage) occurred in 7.9% of the cases, and these were handled with simple observation in follow-up clinics. The average regression of head circumference three months postoperatively, for all the three models of ‘catheter à fentes,’ was 3.73 cm. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the usage of ‘catheter à fentes’ for treatment of childhood hydrocephalus gives satisfactory results.