Incidence and Effectiveness of Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1956–1981

In the period 1956 through 1981, 129 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt operations were performed on 50 patients who were residents of Olmsted County, Minn. The overall average annual age- and sex-adjusted incidence of initial CSF shunts during this 26-year period was 2.3 per 100,000 person-years. Within 5-year calendar time intervals, the average annual incidence rates per 100,000 person-years ranged from 0.8 (1956-1960) to 4.6 (1971-1975). There were 4 shunt-related deaths, 1 due to a CSF shunt infection and 3 due to acute increases in intracranial pressure. In this analysis of shunt procedures in a defined population, the diagnostic indications and changes over time in CSF shunting devices are also described.