Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Shunt — Hydrocephalus Surgery in Noida

A programmable VP shunt has a valve that can be non-invasively adjusted — using a magnetic adjustment device on the skin surface — to change the CSF drainage pressure setting without further surgery. This allows fine-tuning of drainage after implantation and management of complications such as over-drainage (causing headache when sitting up) or under-drainage (causing headache at rest). Dr. Vaish uses programmable Codman or Medtronic shunts at Medanta Noida.

A VP shunt has no defined lifespan. Some patients go years or decades without problems; others require revision within months. Common causes of revision include: proximal (ventricular catheter) blockage by choroid plexus, distal (peritoneal catheter) blockage, shunt infection (typically within 6 months of insertion), and shunt fracture. In growing children, the peritoneal catheter may need lengthening.

Shunt infection requires removal of the entire shunt, temporary CSF drainage via external ventricular drain (EVD), intravenous antibiotics for 10–14 days, and re-implantation of a new shunt once the infection is cleared. The most common causative organisms are coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (staph. epidermidis) and Staphylococcus aureus.

Yes. Dr.Yashpal Singh Bundela and Dr. Dipanshu Narula at Team Sushrut, Medanta Hospital, Sector 50, Noida perform VP shunt implantation and revision for all age groups. Contact: +91 98103 24401.