shunts

[tessa3598]

Hey everyone!! :) I was reading a thread a couple days ago about shunts and failures of them and such. I was reading some stuff on the internet and found this little bit of information that kinda confirms our thoughts on them. Its not just bad luck even though it may seem like it after the million and one revisions and replacements.

"An estimated 50% of all shunts fail within two years, requiring further surgery to replace the shunts. In the past 25 years, death rates associated with hydrocephalus have decreased from 54% to 5% and the occurrence of intellectual disability has decreased from 62% to 30%."

[leigh828]

Our neuro said the same thing...50% fail within the first year 60% fail within the second. :( not what a parent wants to hear! But the other info that you posted is great news! :)

[valerie]

Didnt realise that was the statistics.... cian has his in 1 year since feb and long may it last!!!!

[LysetteOlmeda]

Ugh! Shunts are my biggest fear! Lyla doesnt have one yet but we know there is a high percentage that she may eventually need one. Our doctor put it like this, 'Shunts are plumbing, its bound to need work.' Thats what bothers me knowing that once she hasnt it, its not like ok problem solved, its more like until next time... But at the same time Im all worried waiting because somedays her forehead looks big sometimes it doesnt. Its a difficult waiting period. But also if she doesnt need it then I certainly dont want her to have it. Time will tell...

[Amnada]

Hi Lysette
I just look at it as worrying about something else. Worrying about needing a shunt, or worrying about it failing - you are still looking at the same thing!

Nick's neuro said the same thing - 50% will need a revision in the first year. BUT they also said that the rates of needing a shunt aren't as high as they first though - instead of 90% of kids with SB need a shunt, it's really now 50-75% (his words - I was very surprised). that got me excited - for the 3 weeks until he needed a shunt :(

What will be, will be. Good Luck with Lyla falling in the percentage of not-needing one!

[Jill]

Booo for shunts! The fear is always there, isn't it? Such a crapshoot. Here's hoping our LO's are on the happy side of the stats for once, eh?

[hope&faith]

interesting statistics. I hate that they say half of them fail. ugh. but I guess that means half of them stay fine, right?

LOL Jill, agreed---here's hoping!!!
Holli

[Papillon]

Hi,

Just chiming in here as an adult with a shunt (I have L3/L4 level SB with Hydro). As far as I know mine didn't have any problems at all from when they put it in when I was a few days old until I was 12 years old and they had to lengthen it - it then blocked two or three times, I think they probably annoyed it too much and/or introduced some kind of foreign body into it. I had problems on and off for about 3 months, 3 or so operations, I think.

Then my shunt was fine for another 6 years, and when I was 18 I started having problems with it blocking again. This is also when they changed it from a Ventriculo-Peritoneal (VP - brain to abdomen) Shunt to a Ventriculo-Atrial (VA - brain to heart) Shunt, because by the time you are an adult the distance between your head and your heart is not going to change, so they won't need to go in and lengthen it, will only need to get at it if it blocks, and even then there is a connection point in my neck that they can access to take it apart if necessary.

I had about 3 years of on and off problems from age 18 to nearly 21 (October 1998 was when I had my last shunt op., had to really rush to organise my 21st Birthday Party by end of November because we didn't bother organising it all til we knew I'd be out of hospital for it), but have been fine ever since (I am now 32). The Doctors have told me that they can't give any guarantees as to how long it will last for, but we are of course all hoping for a LONG time before my next blocked shunt (IF EVER!!). 11 or 12 years and counting!!

Love Papillon xo