Treated hydrocephalus in individuals with myelomeningocele in the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry

Abstract

Introduction: Although the majority of patients with myelomeningocele have hydrocephalus, reported rates of treatment of hydrocephalus vary widely. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of surgical treatment for hydrocephalus in patients with myelomeningocele in the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry (NSBPR). In addition, we explored the variation in shunting rates across NSBPR institutions, examined the relationship between hydrocephalus and the functional lesion level of the myelomeningocele, and evaluated for temporal trends in rates of treated hydrocephalus.

Methods: We queried the NSBPR to identify all patients with myelomeningoceles. Individuals were identified as having treated hydrocephalus if they had undergone at least one hydrocephalus-related operation. For each participating NSBPR institution, we calculated the proportion of patients enrolled at that site with treated hydrocephalus. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the relationship between hydrocephalus and the functional lesion level of the myelomeningocele as well as to compare the rate of treated hydrocephalus in children born before 2005 to those born in 2005 or later.

Results: A total of 4448 patients with myelomeningocele were identified from 26 institutions, of whom 3558 patients (79.99%) had undergone at least one hydrocephalus-related operation.

The rate of treated hydrocephalus ranged from 72% to 96% among institutions enrolling more than 10 patients. This difference in treatment rates between centers was statistically significant (p<0.001). Insufficient data were available in the NSBPR to analyze reasons for the different rate of hydrocephalus treatment between sites.

Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that more rostral functional lesion levels were associated with higher rates of treated hydrocephalus (p < 0.001) but demonstrated no significant difference in hydrocephalus treatment rates between children born before versus after 2005.

Conclusion: The rate of hydrocephalus treatment in patients with myelomeningocele in the NSBPR is 79.99%, which is consistent with previously published literature. Our data demonstrate a clear association between functional lesion level of the myelomeningocele and the need for hydrocephalus treatment.