[The usefulness of lumbar infusion test in the evaluation of the intracranial volume pressure compensation in hydrocephalus before and after shunt insertion].

The analysis is presented of selected parameters of the lumbar infusion tests performed in hydrocephalic patients before and after shunt. In properly functioning shunt (50 cases) the mean values of the variables are on an average twice lower than before shunt. In patients with shunt malfunction (surgically verified in 7 out of 10 suspected cases) the values of the parameters are similar before and after shunt and are statistically significant. Lumbar infusion test is proved very useful in the detection of shunt malfunction, particularly when it is possible to compare it to the test performed before shunt.