Quality of Life in Individuals Surgically Treated for Congenital Hydrocephalus During Infancy: A Single-Institution Experience

Hemimegalencephaly: A Systematic Comparison of Functional and Anatomic Hemispherectomy for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Hemimegalencephaly (HME) is a rare diffuse malformation of cortical development characterized by unihemispheric hypertrophy, drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), hemiparesis, and developmental delay. Definitive treatment for HME-related DRE is hemispheric surgery through either anatomic (AH) or functional hemispherectomy (FH). This individual patient data meta-analysis assessed seizure outcomes of AH and FH for HME with pharmacoresistant epilepsy, predictors of Engel I, and efficacy of different FH approaches.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched from inception to Jan 13th, 2023, for primary literature reporting seizure outcomes in >3 patients with HME receiving AH or FH. Demographics, neurophysiology findings, and Engel outcome at the last follow-up were extracted. Postsurgical seizure outcomes were compared through 2-tailed t -test and Fisher exact test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of Engel I outcome.

RESULTS

Data from 145 patients were extracted from 26 studies, of which 89 underwent FH (22 vertical, 33 lateral), 47 underwent AH, and 9 received an unspecified hemispherectomy with a median last follow-up of 44.0 months (FH cohort) and 45.0 months (AH cohort). Cohorts were similar in preoperative characteristics and at the last follow-up; 77% (n = 66) of the FH cohort and 81% (n = 38) and of the AH cohort were Engel I. On multivariate analysis, only the presence of bilateral ictal electroencephalography abnormalities (hazard ratio = 11.5; P = .002) was significantly associated with faster time-to-seizure recurrence. A number-needed-to-treat analysis to prevent 1 additional case of posthemispherectomy hydrocephalus reveals that FH, compared with AH, was 3. There was no statistical significance for any differences in time-to-seizure recurrence between lateral and vertical FH approaches (hazard ratio = 2.59; P = .101).

CONCLUSION

We show that hemispheric surgery is a highly effective treatment for HME-related DRE. Unilateral ictal electroencephalography changes and using the FH approach as initial surgical management may result in better outcomes due to significantly lower posthemispherectomy hydrocephalus probability. However, larger HME registries are needed to further delineate the predictors of seizure outcomes.

The interaction between parental concern and socioeconomic status in pediatric hydrocephalus management

OBJECTIVE

Parent or guardian involvement is implicit in the care of pediatric patients with hydrocephalus. Some parents and guardians are more engaged than others. The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), the level of parental concern about their child's hydrocephalus management and future, and overall health status has not been clearly delineated. In this study, the authors sought to clarify this connection using hydrocephalus patient-reported health outcomes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included children with surgically managed hydrocephalus whose parent or guardian completed the validated Hydrocephalus Outcome Questionnaire (HOQ) and Hydrocephalus Concern Questionnaire for parents (HCQ-P) on a return visit to the pediatric neurosurgery clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center between 2016 and 2018. Patients were excluded if the questionnaires were not completed in full. The calculated Overall Health Score (OHS) was used to represent the child's global physical, emotional, cognitive, and social health. The HCQ-P was used to assess parental concern about their child. Type of insurance was a proxy for SES.

RESULTS

The HOQ and HCQ-P were administered and completed in full by 170 patient families. In the cohort, 91% of patients (n = 155) had shunt-treated hydrocephalus, and the remaining patients had undergone endoscopic third ventriculostomy. The mean (± SD) patient age was 12 ± 4 years. Half of the patients were male (n = 90, 53%), and most were Caucasian (n = 134, 79%). One in four patients lived in single-parent homes or with a designated guardian (n = 45, 26%). Public insurance and self-pay accounted for 38% of patients (n = 64), while the remaining 62% had private or military insurance. In general, parents with higher concern about their child's medical condition indicated that their son or daughter had a higher OHS (χ2 = 17.07, p < 0.001). Patients in families with a lower SES did not have different OHSs from those with a higher SES (χ2 = 3.53, p = 0.06). However, parents with a lower SES were more worried about management of their child's hydrocephalus and their child's future success (χ2 = 11.49, p < 0.001). In general, parents were not preoccupied with one particular aspect of their child's hydrocephalus management.

CONCLUSIONS

More engaged parents, regardless of their family's SES, reported a better OHS for their child. Parents with public or self-paid insurance were more likely to report higher concern about their child's hydrocephalus and future, but this was not associated with a difference in their child's current health status.

Hydrocephalus-related quality of life as assessed by children and their caregivers

OBJECTIVE

Hydrocephalus is a chronic medical condition that has a significant impact on children and their caregivers. The objective of this study was to measure the quality of life (QOL) of children with hydrocephalus, as assessed by both caregivers and patients.

METHODS

Pediatric patients with hydrocephalus and their caregivers were enrolled during routine neurosurgery clinic visits. The Hydrocephalus Outcomes Questionnaire (HOQ), a report of hydrocephalus-related QOL, was administered to both children with hydrocephalus (self-report) and their caregivers (proxy report about the child). Patients with hydrocephalus also completed measures of anxiety, depression, fatigue, traumatic stress, and headache. Caregivers completed a proxy report of child traumatic stress and a measure of caregiver burden. Demographic information was collected from administration of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (version 2.0) and from the medical record. Child and caregiver HOQ scores were analyzed and correlated with clinical, demographic, and psychological variables.

RESULTS

The mean overall HOQ score (parent assessment of child QOL) was 0.68. HOQ Physical Health, Social-Emotional Health, and Cognitive Health subscore averages were 0.69, 0.73, and 0.54, respectively. The mean overall child self-assessment (cHOQ) score was 0.77, with cHOQ Physical Health, Social-Emotional Health, and Cognitive Health subscore means of 0.84, 0.79, and 0.66, respectively. Thirty-nine dyads were analyzed, in which both a child with hydrocephalus and his or her caregiver completed the cHOQ and HOQ. There was a positive correlation between parent and child scores (p < 0.004 for all subscores). Child scores were consistently higher than parent scores. Variables that showed association with caregiver-assessed QOL in at least one domain included child age, etiology of hydrocephalus, and history of endoscopic third ventriculostomy. There was a significant negative relationship (rho -0.48 to -0.60) between child-reported cHOQ score and child-reported measures of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. There was a similar significant relationship between caregiver report of child's QOL (HOQ) and caregiver assessment of the child's posttraumatic stress symptoms as well as their assessment of burden of care (rho = -0.59 and rho = -0.51, respectively). No relationship between parent-reported HOQ and child-reported psychosocial factors was significant. No clinical or demographic variables were associated with child self-assessed cHOQ.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric patients with hydrocephalus consistently rate their own QOL higher than their caregivers do. Psychological factors such as anxiety and posttraumatic stress may be associated with lower QOL. These findings warrant further exploration.

Risk and risk factors for epilepsy in shunt-treated children with hydrocephalus

OBJECT

Epilepsy is a major comorbidity in children with hydrocephalus (HC) and has a serious impact on their developmental outcomes. There are variable influencing factors, thus the individual risk for developing epilepsy remains unclear. Our aim was to analyse risk factors for developing epilepsy in children with shunted HC.

METHODS

A retrospective, single-centre analysis of 361 patients with the diagnosis of HC was performed. Age at HC diagnosis, shunt treatment, development of epilepsy, epilepsy course, and the aetiology of HC were considered. The influence of shunt therapy, including its revisions and complications, on the development of epilepsy was investigated.

RESULTS

One-hundred forty-three patients with HC (n = 361) had a diagnosis of epilepsy (39.6%). The median age at the first manifestation of epilepsy was 300 days (range:1-6791; Q1:30, Q3: 1493). The probability of developing epilepsy after HC decreases with increasing age. The most significant influence on the development of epilepsy is that of the HC itself and its underlying aetiology (HR 5.9; 95%-CI [3-10.5]; p < 0.001). Among those, brain haemorrhage is associated with the highest risk for epilepsy (HR 7.9; 95%-CI [4.2-14.7]; p < 0.01), while shunt insertion has a lower influence (HR 1.5; 95%-CI [0.99; 2.38]; p = 0.06). The probability of epilepsy increases stepwise per shunt revision (HR 2.0; p = 0.03 after 3 or more revisions). Five hundred days after the development of HC, 20% of the children had a diagnosis of epilepsy. Shunt implantation at a younger age has no significant influence on the development of epilepsy nor does sex.

CONCLUSION

Children with HC are at high risk for developing epilepsy. The development of epilepsy is correlated mainly with HC's underlying aetiology. The highest risk factor for the development of epilepsy seems to be brain haemorrhage. The age at shunt implantation appears to be unrelated to the development of epilepsy, while structural brain damage at a young age, shunt revisions and complications are independent risk factors. The onset of epilepsy is most likely to take place within the first 500 days after the diagnosis of HC.