Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Function and Hydrocephalus in the Pediatric Age Group

Eighty-four pediatric patients were evaluated clinically and radiographically on 112 separate admissions for suspected increased intracranial pressure and possible shunt malfunction. The shunt system was tested clinically in each patient and correlated with the ventricular size as determined by CT. Of the patients with enlarged ventricles, 87% had an improperly functioning shunt and 13% had a normally functioning shunt. Of the patients with normal or small ventricles, 93% had a normally functioning shunt. Thus the "false negative" rate was 4% (small ventricles with a nonfunctioning shunt) and the "false positive" rate was 13% (large ventricles with a functioning shunt).