Treatment of hydrocephalus with high-pressure valve ventriculoperitoneal shunt in a dog.

A 5-month-old male Maltese with right-sided circling, deafness, and blindness was presented. A diagnosis of communicating hydrocephalus was made. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt was implanted and the cerebrospinal fluid was drained by using an adjustable valve type (Medtronic Strata). The valve was set at 2.5 (135-155 mmH2O). This was done to prevent the possibility of an overdrainage-induced collapse of the brain parenchyma, which can occur rarely when canine hydrocephalus is treated by using a low-pressure valve. Computed tomography performed 6 weeks and 1 year after surgery revealed the ventricles had decreased in size. Thus, a high-pressure valve used during the treatment of hydrocephalus was able to maintain normal intracranial pressure.