Randomized trial of cerebrospinal fluid shunt valve design in pediatric hydrocephalus

JM Drake, JRW Kestle, R Milner, G Cinalli, F Boop… - …, 1998 - journals.lww.com
OBJECTIVE: Forty percent of standard cerebrospinal fluid shunts implanted for the treatment
of pediatric hydrocephalus fail within the first year. Two new shunt valves designed to limit
excess flow, particularly in upright positions, were studied to compare treatment failure rates
with those for standard differential-pressure valves. METHODS: Three hundred-forty-four
hydrocephalic children (age, birth to 18 yr) undergoing their first cerebrospinal fluid shunt
insertion were randomized at 12 North American or European pediatric neurosurgical …