Pretreatment and Posttreatment Factors Associated with Shunt-Dependent Hydrocephalus After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Hydrocephalus is a common complication following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). This study aimed to evaluate novel pre- and postoperative risk factors for shunt- dependent hydrocephalus (SDHC) after aSAH via a systematic review and meta-analysis. A systematic search was conducted using Pubmed and Embase databases for studies pertaining to aSAH and SDHC. Articles were assessed by meta-analysis if the number of risk factors for SDHC were reported by greater than 4 studies and could be extracted separately for patients who did or did not develop SDHC. 37 studies were included, comprising 12,667 aSAH patients (SDHC 2,214 vs. non-SDHC 10,453). In a primary analysis of 15 novel potential risk factors, 8 were identified to be significantly associated with increased prevalence of SDHC after aSAH including high World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grades (odds ratio (OR) 2.43), hypertension (OR 1.33), anterior cerebral artery (ACA) (OR 1.36), middle cerebral artery (MCA) (OR 0.65), and vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) (2.21) involvement, decompressive craniectomy (DC) (OR 3.27), delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) (OR 1.65), and intracerebral hematoma (ICH) (OR 3.91). Several new factors associated with increased odds of developing SDHC following aSAH were found to be significant. By providing evidence-based risk factors for shunt dependency, we describe an identifiable list of pre- and postoperative prognosticators that may influence how surgeons recognize, treat, and manage aSAH patients at high risk for developing SDHC.