Epileptic seizure as a sign of cerebrospinal fluid shunt malfunction.

Epilepsy was evident in 308 of 817 (38%) children with shunted hydrocephalus. The first seizure occurred after shunting in 181 of 817 (22%), a median of 1.6 years after the original shunt procedure. The incidence of seizures was not statistically different in the parietooccipital, parietotemporal, or frontal region. Over a 15-year period, 16 of 544 (2.9%) visits to the emergency room for seizures culminated in shunt revision, and 16 of 1,831 (0.9%) shunt revisions were associated with a seizure. Although seizures in shunted patients are not uncommon, a seizure is seldom an indication of shunt malfunction.