Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt without Hair Shaving Using Absorbable Suture Materials

OBJECTIVE: Infection is one of most devastating complications in ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery. Preoperative hair removal has traditionally been performed to reduce infectious complications. We performed VP shunt surgeries and evaluated the prevalence of infection in patients who were shaved and those who were unshaven. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 82 patients with hydrocephalus of various pathologies who underwent VP shunt surgery, with or without having the head shaved, between March 2010 and March 2017. For patients in the non-shaved group (n=36), absorbable suture materials were used for wound closure, and Nylon sutures or staples were used in the shaved group (n=46). We evaluated the infection outcomes of patients in the two groups. RESULTS: There was no difference in the average age of patients in the two groups. In the non-shaved group, there were no infections, while two patients in the shaved group required revision because of shunt infection. CONCLUSION: Non-shaved shunt surgery may be safe and effective, with no increase of infection rate. We recommend that shunt procedures could be performed without shaving the hair, which may increase patients’ satisfaction without increasing infection risk.