In Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding “The Results of Neuroendoscopic Surgery on Patients with Posttraumatic and Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus”

Abstract

We are aware that the final outcome after brain injury of intracranial bleeding is also determined by the extent of primary injury to the brain parenchyma during the initial insult and that this can hardly be influenced by any type of surgery. The aim of endoscopic surgery is to treat an obstacle blocking cerebrospinal fluid flow (thereby preventing secondary brain damage from acute intracranial hypertension or from chronic hydrocephalus), and therefore the reduction of ventricular size without shunt implantation might be considered the criterion for endoscopic surgery success. Sun and Guan have proposed symptomatic improvement or alteration of ventricular size without a subsequent shunt as a criterion of endoscopic surgery success.