Background: Ventriculoatrial shunt is routinely performed under general anesthesia and is used to treat various kinds of hydrocephalus. Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients are generally elderly and can have high comorbidities; in such patients, avoiding general anesthesia and limiting opioid administration could be beneficial. We started to perform ventriculoatrial shunt under locoregional anesthesia, in order to make this procedure more truly "minimally invasive".
Methods: Demographic data, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and vital signs, Ramsay sedation scale, and procedural duration were collected. All procedures were performed combining sedation with cervical plexus and scalp block. After internal jugular vein cannulation, a catheter was inserted and connected with a programmable valve and then with the ventricular catheter. Outcome was assessed by the Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Grading Scale and complications were recorded at 3-month follow-up.
Results: Ten consecutive patients were enrolled; the mean age was 74 years, 8 were male, ASA score median value was 3. Opioids were administered only in 4 patients, in 6 patients the value of Ramsay scale was 5. The average duration of surgery was 59.5 minutes. No procedure was converted to general anesthesia.
Conclusions: Our preliminary experience with ventriculoatrial shunt under locoregional anesthesia demonstrates that this technique is feasible, is not associated with an increase in operating times or complications, can avoid general anesthesia, and helps to limit opioid administration in the elderly. It can therefore represent a valid option in order to improve treatment quality in these complex patients.
Keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid; Cervical block; Hydrocephalus; Scalp block; Shunt.
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