Multiloculated Hydrocephalus: Evolution of Treatments and Outcome

Multiloculated hydrocephalus has an overall dismal functional outcome; imaging, early diagnosis, and technological advancements have made new roads in its management. Thirty infants with multiloculated hydrocephalus were studied. Progressive enlargement of the head was the most common presentation in 77%; of these, 47% were treated for neonatal meningitis and septicemia and 20% had suffered birth trauma. The majority required a single ventriculoperitoneal shunt; nine of them required multiple shunts; and six were managed with endoscopic fenestration and endoscopic third ventriculostomy. On follow-up, shunt malfunction was the most common complication. Only 26% of the survivors could achieve normal, neuropsychological developments. The mortality in this series is 6.7%.