Incidence and risk factors of posttraumatic hydrocephalus and its association with outcome following intensive care unit treatment for traumatic brain injury: a multicenter observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic hydrocephalus (PTH) is a recognized long-term complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The authors assessed the incidence and risk factors of PTH and its association with outcome in patients with TBI who were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU).

METHODS: The authors used the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium (FICC) database to retrospectively identify all adult patients with TBI treated in 4 Finnish tertiary ICUs during 2003-2013. All patients were followed up from hospital discharge to a diagnosis of PTH, death, or the end of 2016. PTH was defined as a need for a postdischarge ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunt. The authors collected data on shunt-insertion procedures, mortality, and disability status from nationwide registries cross-linked to the FICC database. The authors calculated the occurrence and incidence rates of PTH and used multivariable logistic regression modeling to determine risk factors for PTH and its association with outcome.

RESULTS: Sixty-one of 2882 patients (2.1%) developed PTH during a median follow-up time of 4.6 years, with a median of 102 days (interquartile range 54-220 days) between hospital discharge and PTH. Risk factors for PTH were increasing age (OR 1.02 per year, 95% CI 1.01-1.04); a midline shift of > 5 mm (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.01-3.48); traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (OR 3.59, 95% CI 1.79-7.21); external ventricular drainage (OR 3.54, 95% CI 1.68-7.46); and decompressive craniectomy (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.37-9.88). PTH was independently associated with permanent disability after case-mix adjustment (OR 3.62, 95% CI 2.11-6.22).

CONCLUSIONS: PTH is an uncommon long-term complication of TBI, with several risk factors that are identifiable early during neurointensive care. The development of PTH is independently associated with poor functional outcome. Whether earlier detection and treatment of PTH leads to improved outcomes remains unknown, highlighting the importance of adequate follow-up and prompt detection and treatment of the condition.