Resolution of Papilledema Following Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt or Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy for Obstructive Hydrocephalus: A Pilot Study

Background and Objectives: Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt (VPS) and Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV) are both gold standard procedures to reduce intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, which often results in papilledema. This comparative study was carried out at the Department of Neurosurgery of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital to compare the efficacy of VPS and ETV in the resolution of papilledema in 18 patients with obstructive hydrocephalus. Materials and Methods: The success of CSF diversion was evaluated by a decrease in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and modified Frisen grading of papilledema at the same time. The statistical analyses were carried out by using paired sample t test and the Spearman’s correlation coefficient test. The level of significance (p value) was set at <0.05. Results: After 7 days, both VPS and ETV were able to reduce RNFL thickness of both eyes with a p value = 0.016 (right eye) and 0.003 (left eye) in group A (VPS) and with a p value <0.001 (both eyes) in group B (ETV). Change of Frisen grading after CSF diversion was not satisfying for both the procedures with p value > 0.05. Further, the inter-group comparison between VPS and ETV showed no difference in decreasing RNFL thickness and modified Frisen grading (p value = 0.56). Conclusion: VPS and ETV procedures both appear very efficient in treating obstructive hydrocephalus, which in turn reduces papilledema in these patients. This paper is preliminary and requires further work.