Hayat Mohammad Khan, Muhammad Usman, Mumtaz Ali, Ramzan Hussain, Naeem-ul Haq.
Effectiveness of Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in the Treatment of Obstructive Hydrocephalus.
Pak J Neuro Surg Jan ;18(1):44-8.

Introduction: Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain that is or has been under high pressure. It results in raised intracranial pressure and compressive effects of vital brain structures that can be lethal if not treated in time. Various treatment options had been tried over the years but ventriculoperitoneal shunt has been the most common treatment option. As ventriculoperitoneal shunt is associated with obstruction, infection and over drainage, endoscopic third ventriculostomy has been used to avoid these complications.Objective: To determine the effectiveness of endoscopic third ventriculostomy in the treatment of obstructive hydrocepalus.Material and Methods: This is a descriptive study that was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from October 2010 to October 2011. In this study all patients who underwent endo-scopic third ventriculostomy of more than six months were included. Total of 94 patients were included in the study. Effectiveness of the procedure was measured in terms of improvement in clinical condition i.e. GCS, head-ache, vomiting.Results: Total of 94 patients were included of which 58 were male and 36 were female. Age ranged from one to 70 years, with 50% of the patients were below 10 years of age. Majority of the patients had hydrocephalus due to space occupying lesion making 71.9% of the whole. In 75.5% of the patients the procedure was effective. Effecti-veness had no statistically significant difference in different age groups, however procedure is more effective in hydrocephalus due to space occupying lesion.Conclusion: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy is a very effective procedure for the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. It is effective irrespective of the age of the patient and cause of obstruction.

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