A lesson in history: the evolution of endoscopic third ventriculostomy

The history of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) demonstrates the importance of studying neurosurgery's history. A story that began with numerous technological advancements started to fizzle as neurosurgeons were stymied by problems encountered during the infancy of the technology they were still developing. The new technique, although sound in theory, failed to deliver a realistic solution for managing hydrocephalus; it lost the battle to the valved shunt. Over the last 15-20 years, a clearer understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying various forms of hydrocephalus, along with effective implementation of evidence-based practice, has allowed for optimization of patient selection and a remarkable improvement in ETV success rates. Neurosurgeons would be wise to take the lessons learned in modernizing the ETV procedure and reassure themselves that these lessons do not apply to other methods that are tempting to dismiss as antiquated or archaic.