Outcome of shunted posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus in premature infants

Patient histories of 29 infants were reviewed whose birth weights were less than 2,000 gm and who had received ventricular shunts in the neonatal period for posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus. This procedure was performed at a time when routine screening of low birth weight infants for intracranial hemorrhage was not undertaken and serial lumbar puncture usually was not employed. The overall outcome was poor, with 62% of shunted infants either dying or surviving with moderate or severe handicap. Neurodevelopmental outcome was associated with the interval between the diagnosis of hydrocephalus and shunting; an adverse outcome was associated with an increased interval. Current practices for treating posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus are discussed.