INFLUENCE OF AETIOLOGY ON PROGNOSIS IN SURGICALLY TREATED INFANTILE HYDROCEPHALUS

A series of 166 cases of infantile hydrocephalus treated by ventrtculo-atrial drainage has been studied with particular reference to the effect of aetiolog/on survival and intelligence. Non-infective communicating hydrocephalus carries the best prognosis and cases of this sort treated surgically require less frequent secondary operations. The incidence of post-meningitic hydrocephalus has greatly diminished since 1962; the intelligence level of some of the survivors is low, and they have a high incidence of epilepsy. In this series, cases of hydrocephalus due to congenital aqueduct stenosis tended to be referred for treatment very late, after excessive head expansion had already occurred. This may have contributed to poor results in terms of the intelligence of the survivors and their liability to epilepsy. 80% of all the patients treated are still alive. Two-thirds of the fatalities occurred within one year of the institution of treatment and nearly half the remainder during the second year.