Why would a child need a VP shunt?
If too much fluid builds up in the brain, it can cause brain damage and lead to serious problems for your child’s health. If left untreated, this fluid can be life-threatening. A ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt may be placed to help drain the fluid out of the brain.
How can I help my child with a VP shunt?
Do not shower or shampoo your child’s head until the stitches and staples have been taken out. Give your child a sponge bath instead. The wound should not soak in water until the skin is completely healed. Do not push on the part of the shunt that you can feel or see underneath your child’s skin behind the ear.
What are the 2 types of shunts?
The most common shunt systems are:
- Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts. This type of shunt diverts CSF from the ventricles of the brain into the peritoneal cavity, the space in the abdomen where the digestive organs are located.
- Ventriculoatrial (VA) shunts.
- Ventriculopleural (VPL) shunts.
- Lumboperitoneal (LP) shunts.
Can a child with hydrocephalus live a normal life?
There is no cure for hydrocephalus, but with timely diagnosis and treatment, children with hydrocephalus can lead normal lives. They will require close care from physicians, neurosurgeons and sometimes neurologists as well.
How do I know if my child’s shunt needs to be replaced?
If the shunt is not working properly or is infected, call for medical help right away
- puffiness or redness of the skin around the tube and at incision (cut) sites.
- fever.
- stiff neck.
- fluid coming out of the incision.
- loss of appetite or not eating well.
- generally feeling sick.
- headache.
- abdomen (belly) pain.
Why do babies need shunts?
Surgically implanting a shunt in a ventricle is the most common way to treat hydrocephalus in infants and children. A shunt is a small, flexible tube and valve system that allows fluid to drain. It is placed in the ventricle to drain cerebrospinal fluid away from the brain and into the body, where it can be absorbed.
What is the life expectancy of someone with normal pressure hydrocephalus?
Survival in untreated hydrocephalus is poor. Approximately, 50% of the affected patients die before three years of age and approximately 80% die before reaching adulthood. Treatment markedly improves the outcome for hydrocephalus not associated with tumors, with 89% and 95% survival in two case studies.