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Updated: Aug 31, 2025
14:59
Neuronavigation and Laparoscopy Guided Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Insertion for the Treatment of Hydrocephalus
Published on: October 14, 2022
7.7K
COVID-19 and Ventricular Shunt Revisions.
1Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, USA.
Cureus
|August 22, 2022
Summary
COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with shunted hydrocephalus significantly increases shunt revision rates by nearly five-fold. This finding highlights the critical need for vigilant monitoring of these patients during and after infection.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- COVID-19 presents symptoms like headache and fatigue, which overlap with signs of shunt failure in hydrocephalus patients.
- Distinguishing between COVID-19 symptoms and shunt malfunction is clinically challenging.
- This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on shunt revision rates in hydrocephalus patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if a COVID-19 diagnosis influences the rate of shunt revision in patients with shunted hydrocephalus.
- To assess secondary outcomes including mortality, hospitalization, and various complications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the deidentified TriNetX database network for patient data.
- Included patients with shunted hydrocephalus and COVID-19 compared to those without COVID-19.
- Propensity score matching was employed to control for comorbidities and demographics.
Main Results:
- A cohort of 10,600 patients with COVID-19 and 10,600 without were propensity score-matched.
- Shunt revision occurred in 7.869% of the COVID-19 cohort versus 1.698% in the non-COVID-19 cohort (OR 4.978, p<0.0001).
- Increased rates of mortality, hospitalization, ICU admission, and other complications were observed in the COVID-19 cohort.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 infection is associated with a nearly five-fold increase in shunt revisions among patients with shunted hydrocephalus.
- The findings underscore the heightened risk of shunt failure and associated complications in this vulnerable patient group following COVID-19.
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