Slit ventricle syndrome with aqueduct stenosis: third ventriculostomy as definitive treatment.

Slit ventricle syndrome is a poorly understood entity characterized by features of raised intracranial pressure and small ventricles in shunt-dependent hydrocephalics. Five patients with this syndrome were treated with antisiphon devices, high pressure shunts, or subtemporal decompression, but continued to be symptomatic. Third ventriculostomy, performed as a last resort in these patients, gave encouraging results. The patient data, operative approach, and preliminary results are presented here.