Outcomes of ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement with or without laparoscopic assistance: An analysis of the national inpatient sample

Abstract

BackgroundVentriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) can be placed solely by a neurosurgeon often via an open-laparotomy approach, or laparoscopically as a collaborative effort between a neurosurgeon and a general surgeon. Prior studies have shown conflicting results when examining outcomes regarding infection, revision rate, hospital charges, length of stay, and mortality between the open mini-laparotomy and the laparoscopic approaches. ObjectiveThe current study uses the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to compare outcomes of open mini-laparotomy vs. laparoscopic collaborative approach in VPS placement. MethodsWe performed a retrospective database study of the NIS from October 2015-December 2017 utilizing International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision coding to identify all cases of VPS placement. All analyses accounted for the sampling design of the NIS. ResultsA total of 6580 cases (4969 with open mini-laparotomy approach and 1611 with laparoscopic collaborative approach) met inclusion criteria. Hospital charges, infection rates, and revision rates were similar between approaches. There were no significant differences in length of stay, mortality, or complication rates between the two approaches. ConclusionThe collaborative, laparoscopic approach to VPS placement has similar outcomes and is non-inferior to the traditional open mini-laparotomy approach.