Quality of Life Among Children Who Had Undergone Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Surgery

BACKGROUND: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting is the most common neurosurgical treatment for hydrocephalus. In spite of significant developments in the technology and design of shunt systems, shunt surgery is still associated with morbidity. AIM: To identify the problems faced by children on VP shunt and assess their quality of life (QOL). SETTING AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional exploratory study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 31 children on VP shunt were selected through consecutive sampling technique, and hydrocephalus outcome questionnaire was used to collect the data, with the converted metric score ranging from 0 to 1. Hydrocephalus due to stroke, hemorrhage, and malignant tumors was excluded. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 11.51 ± 4.26 years. Headache and generalized pain were the common problems experienced (42%). The mean score of QOL was 0.67 ± 0.21. Among the three domains, cognitive domain was the most affected. Among the clinicoradiological factors, multiple surgeries (P = 0.02) had the most significant impact on QOL. CONCLUSION: Children who underwent VP shunt face various health-related problems in different domains and low QOL. Although cognitive domain was the most affected, multiple surgeries had the most significant impact on QOL. Appropriately focused interventions and holistic management are essential to improve the QOL of children undergoing VP shunt.