Objective: To analyze the cause and treatment of intracranial hypertension after sylvian cystoperitoneal shunting.
Methods: Sixteen cases were retrospectively reviewed. There were 10 males and 6 females. The age range was 2-19 years old (mean: 9.94). All patients had a sylvian cystoperitoneal shunt via a common low-pressure tube.
Results: The onset time of intracranial hypertension after cystoperitoneal shunting was 3 months to 7 years (mean: 3.20 yr). Three cases underwent the operation of adjusting intracranial location of shunt tube. The original tube was removed in 12 cases. Among them, 10 cases were operated by lateral ventricle-peritoneal shunt. The other two and two cases with a remaining tube were treated successfully with dehydration drugs.
Conclusion: The cause of intracranial hypertension is probably due to tube blockage or less draining after the shrinking or disappearance of arachnoid cyst. Adjusting the location of intracranial tube or performing a lateral ventricle-peritoneal shunt has an excellent efficacy if a dehydration therapy is unresponsive or auto-compensation fails.