• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.sup1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2001

To investigate contributory factors of CSF shunt failure, 237 patients, who underwent shunt placement from January 1995 to December 1998 at our hospital, were reviewed retrospectively. The causes of the hydrocephalus were tumor, hemorrhage, infection, congenital anomaly, normal pressure hydrocephalus, trauma and others. One hundred nine revisions of CSF shunting were done during follow up periods. The causes of shunt revisions were mechanical obstruction, malposition, infection and others. The contributory factors of CSF shunt failure and shunt survival rate were analyzed using SPSS. The shunt survival rate at 1, 2 and 3 years after procedure was 77.1%, 75.4%, 74.1% respectively. In the young age group below 10 years old, postinfectous hydrocephalus was the most common high risk factor for shunt revision. In conclusion, the most shunt failures developed in the first year after surgery and the age and causes of the hydrocephalus were major determinant factors of shunt revision.