Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41023431›Full record

ArticleChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2025

Pediatric hydrocephalus management at a major neurosurgical referral center in Kumasi, Ghana.

Joseline Haizel-Cobbina, Christian Coompson, Samuel Addy, Kwadwo Darko, Derrick Obiri-Yeboah, Kwaku Ampofo, Dickson Bandoh, Benedict Owusu, Anthony Lamina, Jeffrey P Blount and 3 more

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Article in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Joseline Haizel-CobbinaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. joseline.haizel-cobbina@vumc.org.ORCID 0000-0003-0273-6639
Christian CoompsonDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Samuel AddyDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Kwadwo DarkoDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Derrick Obiri-YeboahDepartment of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, USA.
Kwaku AmpofoDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Dickson BandohDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Benedict OwusuDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Anthony LaminaDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Jeffrey P BlountDivision of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Childrens of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
James M JohnstonDivision of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Childrens of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Michael C DewanDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Frank Nketiah-BoakyeDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThis study aims to determine the presentation and treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus at a major neurosurgical referral center in Ghana and compare outcomes between ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) and endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) with or without choroid plexus cauterization (CPC).

methodsAn ambispective study of pediatric hydrocephalus patients managed at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi-Ghana, was performed between 2019 and 2023. Patient demographics, etiology, surgical details, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. The primary outcomes were treatment failure and time to failure (TTF).

resultsA total of 325 patients were included in the study. Median age at presentation was 6.9 months (IQR 1.4, 36.4), and 52% were male. The predominant etiologies were myelomeningocele-associated hydrocephalus (23%) and post-infectious hydrocephalus (21%). Macrocephaly (89%) and bulging fontanelle (73%) were the frequent clinical presentations. Of the 247 patients (76%) who underwent CSF diversion, 70% underwent VPS, 19% underwent ETV, and 11% underwent ETV/CPC. The median time from presentation to surgical management was 29 (IQR 8, 83) days. Thirty-day surgical mortality was 8%. Median postoperative length of stay was 7 days (IQR 5, 14). Six percent of VPS patients and 9% of ETV ± CPC patients required re-intervention with a median TTF of 2.5 months and 1.5 months respectively (p = 0.40). At a median follow-up duration of 15 months (IQR 6, 29), 69% of patients were alive.

conclusionThere is a substantial pediatric hydrocephalus burden at KATH in Kumasi-Ghana. ETV ± CPC and VPS demonstrate comparable treatment success. Public health interventions aimed at prevention and provision of timely neurosurgical care may help reduce disease burden and improve outcomes.

Indexed as

Disease ManagementHydrocephalusVentriculoperitoneal ShuntVentriculostomyChildChild, PreschoolChoroid PlexusFemaleGhanaHumansInfantMaleNeurosurgical ProceduresReferral and ConsultationRetrospective StudiesThird VentricleCSF diversionHydrocephalusLate presentationSurgery wait timeTravel distanceTreatment failure

Identifiers

PMID41023431
PMCPMC12479651

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.