Health Library

Shunts

Most often, the abdominal cavity (the space around the stomach and intestines) is where the CSF is sent. The shunt's small, soft tubing is placed, or tunneled, under the skin, and the end of the tubing is placed in the abdominal space. This is done in the operating room.

A valve is attached to the shunt tubing. It controls the direction the cerebrospinal fluid flows and keeps a normal amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles. The valve adjusts the amount of cerebrospinal fluid that flows from the ventricles and prevents the ventricles from over-draining, which is called over-shunting.

Shunt Malfunctions

A shunt malfunctions when something blocks the flow of cerebrospinal fluid within the shunt. This may be caused by the buildup of the tissue, proteins and chemicals in the cerebrospinal fluid, which can clog the tubing. It may also be caused by tissue within the abdominal space, which blocks the flow of the tubing. Over time, the shunt tubing may also wear out or pull apart and need replacing.

The signs of a shunt malfunction are similar to the signs of hydrocephalus. The symptoms are a result of pressure building up in the head. Call your child's doctor immediately if these symptoms develop.

Recovery After the Procedure

Your child will go to the Post-anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) after surgery and the surgeon will update you on how the surgery went. When you receive a call from the PACU, you may join your child.

Your child will spend one to three nights in the hospital. Before going home, your child must be able to eat and drink without problems, be up walking successfully, have good pain control on oral medicine, and have had a bowel movement (pooped).

Before you leave, make sure that a follow-up appointment with the pediatric neurosurgeon is scheduled for approximately 14 days after surgery.

Please refer to any of the following sections if you have concerns once you and your child get home.

Pain. If your child is under 4 years old, please give regular children's Tylenol as directed for pain. Children older than 4 years may go home with a prescription for oxycodone.

Diet. Once your child is home, they will be on a regular diet. There are some restrictions right after surgery, but since your child will be spending several nights in the hospital, their diet will be restricted as needed during that time.

Wound care. You should wash your child's incision each day with a mild shampoo.

Activity. Your child may go back to regular activities gradually upon returning home.

Medication. No medications are prescribed routinely following hydrocephalus surgery. If your child complains of pain at the site of the incision, please give Tylenol as directed.

Bathing. Clean the wounds daily with a mild soap or shampoo and rinse with clean water (do not use well water or bath water). A shower is fine if your child typically takes showers. Please do not let the wound soak in water, such as in a bathtub or swimming pool, until the skin is completely healed.

Your child will have a follow-up appointment with the neurosurgeon’s office about 14 days after surgery to check the surgical wound. More brain imaging (a picture of the size of your child’s ventricles) may be ordered for future comparison weeks after surgery. If your child becomes ill, this helps determine whether hydrocephalus is the cause of the problem.

Most children return to school or daycare after their sutures are removed, which is done during the follow-up appointment. Watch your child for any signs of hydrocephalus; these would typically be the same symptoms that prompted the surgery.