Initial experience with endoscopic third ventriculostomy in Nigeria, West Africa

Objects Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) as an alternative to traditional shunt surgery in the management of hydrocephalus of different etiologies is new in Nigeria and West Africa, with no published data till date. This initial study was done to determine the success rate and complication among our patient population. Materials and methods This series consists of a prospective study of the clinical and radiological features and outcome of the first 25 consecutive patients who underwent ETV. ETV was considered to be successful when there was no event occurring during surgery that resulted in the procedure being aborted, postoperative neurological deficit, or adverse event that resulted in a modification of the normal postoperative care. Patients follow-up was for a minimum of 2 months. Results There were 14 males and 11 females. The median age of the patients was 6 months, ranging from 1 month to 48 years. The study included obstructive hydrocephalus because of aqueductal stenosis, Dandy Walker malformation, and pineal region tumor. ETV was successful in 23 patients. Two patients had cerebrospinal fluid leak and superficial surgical site infection. There was no mortality. Conclusion ETV in this series is safe with comparable surgical outcomes to conventional ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery, and minimal postoperative morbidity has been observed.