Effectiveness of Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy Versus Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunt in Obstructive Hydrocephalus

Objective:  To analyze the effectiveness of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) versus ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt for the surgical management of obstructive hydrocephalus. Material and Methods:  The comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in the Neurosurgery department of Lady Reading Hospital, MTI Peshawar. The duration of the study was 4 years, i.e.; August 2019 to July 2023. All the patients diagnosed as obstructive hydrocephalus because of posterior fossa tumor, aqueductal stenosis, already shunted, and tectal and non-tectal tumors were in the inclusion criteria, while patients with post-infectious hydrocephalus, congenital hydrocephalus including intra-ventricular hemorrhage and with acute hydrocephalus presenting to the emergency department were in the exclusion criteria. Analysis of the data was done by using statistical software SPSS. Results:  There were a total of 302 patients in the study, which were divided into 2 groups; 155 patients had undergone ETY, while 147 patients had VP shunt. Successful results in the case of ETV were 71%, while in VP shunt was 66%. The complication rate was 10.32% in ETV, while 14.96% in the VP shunt group. Conclusion:  ETV is the better substitute for VP shunt as it’s effective, with less complication rate, an economical, safe, and successful procedure in the surgical management of patients suffering from obstructive hydrocephalus.