Ventriculosinus shunt

Abstract

Hydrocephalus can be managed successfully with cerebrospinal fluid shunting to extracranial compartments, most commonly the peritoneum. However, current shunt systems are not ideal with high revision rates on long-term follow-up. Draining the cerebrospinal fluid from the cerebral ventricles to the cerebral venous sinuses could mimic the physiological conditions with the added advantages of avoiding overdrainage and extracranial recipient site complications. A literature search was carried out using the keywords hydrocephalus, shunt, venous sinus and sagittal sinus. Seven clinical series of ventriculosinus shunts with a total of 265 patients were found. None of the patients developed venous sinus thrombosis, air embolism or intra-operative sinus bleeding. Ventriculosinus shunt is a potential alternative that can be done under local anaesthetic in ill patients where traditional shunts recipient sites are not feasible. However, further studies with extended follow-up period would provide better understanding of the suitability and indications of this technique.