• Kuniaki Nakahara, Satoru Shimizu, Satoshi Utsuki, Sachio Suzuki, Hidehiro Oka, and Kiyotaka Fujii.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 228-8555, Japan. nakahara19@hotmail.com
• Childs Nerv Syst. 2007 Aug 1; 23 (8): 863-5.

ObjectsWe evaluated whether the presence of lacunar skull deformity (LSD) with myelomeningocele is a predictive factor for subsequent hydrocephalus development.Materials And MethodsWe reviewed the clinical and radiological records of 18 infants with myelomeningocele, divided the patients into groups with (group A, n=9) and without (group B, n=9) ventriculomegaly at birth and assessed whether the presence of LSD was predictive of the necessity for ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement.ResultsLSD was present in five group A patients. All nine group A patients underwent VPS placement. Among the group B patients, five had LSD; they underwent VPS placement. A significantly higher proportion of those with ventricle enlargement or LSD at birth required VPS placement (p=0.0001).ConclusionAdding to the ventriculomegaly at birth, the presence of LSD alerts to the necessity to monitor these infants closely to determine the necessity for VPS placement.

22 keywords...

hide…