Long-Term Follow-Up of Direct Heart Shunts in the Management of Hydrocephalus

The authors performed a retrospective review of clinical data on 60 patients treated with direct heart shunts (DHSs) for hydrocephalus at the Children's National Medical Center from 1976 to 1979. Mean shunt survival was 79 months. Rates of proximal revision and infection were comparable to those in previous shunt series. Distal revision rates were lower than those reported in previous ventriculoatrial shunt series. The DHS is an effective self-lengthening cerebrospinal fluid shunt that may be considered as a salvage technique in the challenging shunt-dependent patient.