In this study, we investigated whether outcomes for shunting in the HCRN since 2008 had shown any evidence for improvement compared to shunting outcomes from the 1990s. After studying over 1100 patients from the HCRN Registry, we found that shunting outcomes within the HCRN were about 18% better than older outcomes, i.e., a child treated with a new shunt recently within the HCRN would have a 18% lower chance of developing a shunt failure compared to if that child had been treated in 1990s. This is a very encouraging finding. It confirms that our initiatives are, at least, leading us in the right direction when it comes to outcomes of shunting in children. Within the HCRN, our goal is to push this even further.
Dr. Kulkarni’s paper published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics in October 2013 can read for free online. We appreciate the support of Journal of Neurosurgery in making our papers free to the public.
