Lumboperitoneal shunt for the treatment of pseudotumor cerebri

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective study of 27 patients with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) treated with at least one lumboperitoneal shunt (LPS) to ascertain the efficacy of this treatment. The average duration of follow-up for this population was 77 months (median, 47 months), with a range of 21 to 278 months. A functioning LPS was successful in alleviating symptoms in all patients studied, and no patient with a functioning shunt complained of shunt-related symptoms, such as low-pressure headache or abdominal pain, within 2 months after the shunt was performed. Twelve patients (44%) required no revisions. The number of revisions among the 15 patients (56%) who required them ranged from 1 (5 patients) to 13 (1 patient). Three of these patients required 35 of the 66 total shunt revisions (53%). There were no major complications from LPS, other than failure of the shunt, even in patients who required multiple shunts. We conclude that placement of a lumboperitoneal shunt is satisfactory treatment for the majority of patients with PTC who require surgical therapy for the disorder, even though some patients ultimately require multiple shunt revisions.