Neurosurgical management of hydrocephalus by a general surgeon in an extremely low resource setting: initial experience in North Kivu province of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

PURPOSE

Evaluate the management of hydrocephalus in pediatric patients in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by a general surgeon.

METHODS

Retrospective review of a single institution in the province of North Kivu. Patient charts and surgical notes were reviewed from 2003 to 2016.

RESULTS

116 procedures were performed for an average of 8.9 per year. 51.7% of surgeries were on female patients with an average age of 13.6 ± 22.7. The average distance traveled from home to hospital was 153.7 km but ranged from 5 to 1420 km. The majority of hydrocephalus was due to neonatal sepsis (57%); 33.6% were classified as congenital; 9.5% of cases followed myelomeningocele closure. 97.4% had a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placed. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy combined choroid plexus cauterization (ETV/CPC) was performed in 2.5% of patients. Shunt infection occurred in 9.5% of patients, shunt dysfunction or obstruction in 5.2% and shunt exteriorization in 1.7%; no complications occurred in patients who underwent ETV/CPC.

CONCLUSION

VP shunt is the predominant management for hydrocephalus in this environment with increasing use of ETV/CPC. Further research is needed to evaluate variability by etiology, short and long-term outcomes of procedures performed by neurosurgeons and general surgeons, and regional epidemiologic variability.