One-stage surgical management of meningocele and hydrocephalus in children

Objective To investigate the feasibility and prognosis of the one-stage surgery of meningocele and hydrocephalus in young children.Methods A retrospective analysis was created for 11 pediatric cases of meningocele associated with hydrocephalus through one-stage surgery from between January 2008 and December 2011.4 cases were encephalocele,the rest 7 cases were meningocele.Patients were 5 days to 5 years old with a mean age of 16 months.Shunt was performed first and then followed by repairment of the meningocele.Results No surgical mortality occurred.All cases underwent one-stage operation with good wound healing and no shunt infection.2 cases suffered shunt obstruction within 1 year after surgery.No more complications were found after the one-stage surgery.Conclusions One-stage surgery is feasible for children with meningocele and hydrocephalus because it reduces surgical trauma and medical expenses.It will not raise infection rate but may have a higher rate of shunt obstruction. Key words: Surgery ;  Child;  Neural Tube Defects ;  Hydrocephalus