Surgery of Cranial Deformity Following Ventricular Shunting: A Multicenter Study

AIM: To review the cases of craniosynostosis secondary to ventricular shunting procedure.MATERIAL and METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of all pediatric patients with hydrocephalus who were treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedure between the years 2017 and 2021 at the Selcuk University, Ankara University, and Bursa Uludag University.RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included in the study. The median age at the time of insertion of ventriculoperitoneal shunt for hydrocephalus was 8.1 (range, 1-22) months. Seven patients were shunted because of congenital hydrocephalus. The mean time to development of secondary synostosis was 8.8 (range, 1-36) months. Plagiocephaly was the most common type of secondary synostosis. While shunt revision was performed in 16 patients, cranial vault expansion surgery was performed in 5 patients.CONCLUSION: Slit ventricle syndrome is a frequent condition at shunted patients, but there is no consensus on identifying patients who require treatment. Using programmable or high-pressure valves, performing cranial vault modeling are possible treatment modalities. Increased awareness of this condition in follow-up may allow early diagnosis and intervention and prevent it from evolving into more serious deformities.