The Efficacy Analysis of Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in Infantile Hydrocephalus

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for infantile hydrocephalus. METHODS: Retrospectively reviewed the 17 infantile hydrocephalus cases who were treated with ETV between July 2009 and June 2013. The study includes 17 patients (4 Han and 13 Hui) between the ages of 51 and 337 days. Five cases with encephalitis history and 2 cases with cerebral hemorrhage, with the remaining 10 cases congenital hydrocephalus. ETVs were performed for all patients with 1 case failing because the severe ventricle inflammatory adhesion, excessive exudation, and vague basilar artery. RESULTS: Among the 16 successful cases 7 cases improved remarkably : heads and ventricles reduced and cerebral cortexes thickening morphologically. The ventricles of the remaining cases were unchanged. CONCLUSION: The ethnic minority account for the majority of the patients in this study. ETV is effective for infantile obstructive hydrocephalus.