Direct cardiac shunt for hydrocephalus of infancy and childhood. Technical note

The authors describe a technique for direct cardiac shunting in which an adult-size ventriculoatrial catheter is coiled in an intrathoracic Silastic pouch and implanted in infants with hydrocephalus. In three patients so treated, serial chest films have shown progressive uncoiling of the catheter over a follow-up interval of 6 to 14 months.