Document Type

Article

Department

Neurosurgery; Neurology

Abstract

Background: Congenital hydrocephalus (CH) is a frequently encountered birth anomaly that can hinder long-term neurologic maturity and social well-being of affected children. This study was undertaken to assess quality of life (QOL) 10-15 years after surgical treatment for primary CH during infancy at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included individuals who presented to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, between 1995 and 2005 at QOL.
Results: Of 118 patients, 90 patients participated in the study. Mean age at first admission was 6.2 months. Mean length of follow-up was 5.4 years. Of these, 28 patients had died after surgery. Shunt infection (P = 0.012) and delayed milestones (P = 0.003) were found to be statistically significant factors affecting mortality in the patients who died. The mean overall health score was 0.67 ± 0.30. Age (P = 0.039).
Conclusions: In our analysis, we assessed the QOL associated with CH. We hope that these results will provide insight for future prospective work with the ultimate goal of improving long-term QOL in children with CH.

Comments

Issue no. are not provided by the author/publisher. The full-text is allowed by author (Author’s copy).

Publication (Name of Journal)

World Neurosurgery

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Share

COinS