Survival After Shunt Therapy in Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Meta-Analysis of 1614 Patients

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt therapy is a crucial intervention for normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). This meta-analysis delves into survival time and the impact of baseline symptom burden on survival after VP shunt therapy for NPH, employing reconstructed pooled survival curves and a one-stage meta-analysis.

IPD regarding overall survival (OS) were acquired from published Kaplan-Meier charts, utilizing the R package IPDfromKM in R (Version 4.3.1, the R Foundation for Statistical Computing). Reconstructed Kaplan-Meier charts were then generated from the pooled IPD data. Both one-stage and two-stage meta-analyses were executed, with hazard ratios (HRs) employed as metrics to evaluate effectiveness.

From the initial screening of 216 records, five articles encompassing 1614 patients met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. In two of the five included studies, overall survival was stratified by gait score (1-4 vs. ≥4) in 1043 patients, continence score (1-3 vs. ≥4) in 1022 patients, and mRS (0-2 vs. ≥3) in 956 patients. Patients with good gait demonstrated a mean survival of 8.24 years, while those with poor gait had a mean survival of 6.19 years (log-rank test: p < 0.001). The HR for gait was 2.25 (95% CI: 1.81-2.81, p < 0.001). Continence score stratification revealed a significant difference in survival time (log-rank test: p < 0.001), with an HR of 1.66 (95% CI: 1.33-2.06, p < 0.001). Similarly, mRS stratification demonstrated a significant survival difference (log-rank test: p < 0.001), with an HR of 2.21 (95% CI: 1. 74-2.80, p < 0.001). The reconstructed survival curves for all NPH patients treated with VP shunt therapy, pooling data from five studies, revealed a median survival time of 8.82 years (95% CI: 8.23-9.40). Survival rates at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 years were 95.7%, 83.8%, 70.5%, 59.5%, 48.7%, 35.8%, and 25.4%, respectively. Comparison with a general control population showed an HR of 1.79 (95% CI: 1.62-1.98, p < 0.001).

This comprehensive meta-analysis underscores the influence of baseline symptom burden on survival after VP shunt therapy in NPH. Therapy in the early stages for those without significant comorbidities may enhance survival.