Risk factors for hydrocephalus and neurological deficit in children born with an encephalocele

OBJECT There is a known association of hydrocephalus with encephaloceles. Risk factors for hydrocephalus and neurological deficit were ascertained in a series of patients born with an encephalocele. METHODS A retrospective analysis was undertaken of patients treated for encephaloceles at Children's Hospital Los Angeles between 1994 and 2012. The following factors were evaluated for their prognostic value: age at presentation, sex, location of encephalocele, size, contents, microcephaly, presence of hydrocephalus, CSF leak, associated cranial anomalies, and neurological outcome. RESULTS Seventy children were identified, including 38 girls and 32 boys. The median age at presentation was 2 months. The mean follow-up duration was 3.7 years. Encephalocele location was classified as anterior (n = 14) or posterior (n = 56) to the coronal suture. The average maximum encephalocele diameter was 4 cm (range 0.5–23 cm). Forty-seven encephaloceles contained neural tissue. Eight infants presented at birth with CSF leak...