Pregnancy, Delivery and Postpartum Care of Women with Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunted Hydrocephalus: a case series

Abstract

Since the introduction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) -shunt implantation in 1971 at the University Hospital of Innsbruck, the number of hydrocephalus patients reaching reproductive age has increased in recent years. In the last few years we were confronted with the fact that three of our patients became pregnant. Our main aim was to attend these patients throughout pregnancy, delivery and maternity. These patients have been in our care from the beginning of their disease to adulthood and we have reviewed their development with other reported patients in literature. Indications for shunt placement were in two cases postmeningitis hydrocephalus and in one case congenital hydrocephalus of undetermined origin during childhood. Because of the mental impairment of our patients, intensive follow-up and medical consultation as well as special antenatal, peripartal and postnatal circumstances had to be considered in order to ensure the optimal quality of care, like social welfare work and vocational guidance. With our multidisciplinary management of these patients, we did not experience any complications regarding maternal shunt dependency contrary to literature. All these patients are now “mother patients“ and well integrated in society and their families. We suggest that proper care of these patients can lead to normal pregnancies, deliveries and maternity.