Quality of life of adult patients with ventriculo-peritoneal shunt

Abstract

: Ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunting is the leading neurosurgical treatment for hydrocephalus (HCP). Shunt malfunctioning have been reported even after the advancement in the technology and design of VP shunt systems. This further increases the morbidity and decreases the quality of life (QOL). To assess the experienced health problems among patients who had undergone ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. To assess the QOL and factors influencing QOL of patients who had undergone ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. of 36 adult patients selected through consecutive sampling technique. Subjects interviewed by standard tool i.e. hydrocephalus outcome questionnaire Findings showed that the mean age of adult patients was 35.89±14.39 years. Headache was the commonest problem experienced by adults (66.66%). Mean score of QOL was 122.50±55.99. Among all three domains, cognitive domain was mostly affected among patients with VP shunt. Factors influencing QOL of patients included longer duration of care requirement (p<0.001), left VP shunting (p=0.02), unemployment (p=0.02) and low per capita income (p=0.02).