The arrest of treated hydrocephalus in children. A radionuclide study.

A prospective study was made of the incidence of arrest of treated non-neoplastic hydrocephalus in 30 neonates and infants over a 5-year period. Radionuclide assessment of shunt function and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics was carried out at intervals over this period, using a method that allowed injection of the radionuclide into the ventricular system independent of the shunt apparatus. The radionuclide scanning results were correlated with computerized tomography and clinical findings. Of 24 patients still available for analysis at the end of 5 years, four patients showed restoration of CSF circulation independent of the shunt apparatus and, in three of these, the shunt has either been clipped or clipped and removed without any ill effects. Clinical details of these three patients are provided. Two initially had communicating hydrocephalus, and one had probable aqueduct stenosis.