Percutaneous tunnel ventriculostomy

External ventricular drainage is an important therapeutic adjunct in neurosurgical practice. Unfortunately, this procedure has been associated with a significant incidence of ventriculitis. A major source for many of these infections has been bacterial contamination of the tract of the ventricular catheter, at the site where it enters the scalp. To prevent this problem, the authors have devised a new ventriculostomy technique that involves tunneling the ventricular catheter through the scalp, between the dermis and the galea. One hundred consecutive procedures in 66 patients are analyzed in this paper. The average duration of drainage was 6.2 days. There were no infections subsequent to the insertion of the ventricular catheter in this group of patients.