Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37640980›Full record

ArticleActa neurochirurgica2023

Programmable (proSA®) vs. fixed (SHUNTASSISTANT®) gravitational valves in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus: a 16-year retrospective single-center comparative study with biomechanical analysis.

Mohammed Issa, Filippo Paggetti, August von Hardenberg, Christoph Miethke, Andreas W Unterberg, Ahmed El Damaty

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta neurochirurgica, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Incidence and management of overdrainage in pediatric hydrocephalus patients exclusively treated with modern gravitational VP shunt valves.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  2. Survival outcomes and risk factors for ventriculo-peritoneal shunt failure in pediatric hydrocephalus: a multi-center cohort study in Vietnam.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mohammed Issa *Department of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. mohammed.issa@med.uni-heidelberg.de.ORCID 0000-0001-7420-1647
Filippo Paggetti *Department of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
August von HardenbergChristoph Miethke GmbH & Co. KG, Potsdam, Germany.
Christoph MiethkeChristoph Miethke GmbH & Co. KG, Potsdam, Germany.
Andreas W UnterbergDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Ahmed El DamatyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Heidelberg University · DEChristophorus Kliniken · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIn pediatric hydrocephalus (HC) treatment, programmable gravitational valves offer greater flexibility to manage overdrainage during children's growth. However, it remains unclear whether these devices provide better outcomes rather than their precursors. The study assessed the benefit from programmability of gravitational valve, i.e., programmable-SHUNTASSISTANT (proSA®) vs. SHUNTASSISTANT® (SA®).

methodsClinical records and imaging of pediatric patients with hydrocephalus of non-tumoral etiology treated with fixed (SA®) or programmable (proSA®) gravitational valves between January 2006 and January 2022 were analyzed in a retrospective single-center study. Valve survival was compared in relation to age and etiology. Lately explanted valves received biomechanical analysis.

resultsA total of 391 gravitational valves (254 SA® and 137 proSA®) were inserted in 244 patients (n = 134 males). One hundred thirty-three SA® (52.4%) and 67 proSA® (48.9%) were explanted during a follow-up of 81.1 ± 46.3 months. Valve survival rate at 1 and 5 years with proSA® was 87.6% and 60.6% compared to 81.9% and 58.7% with SA®, with mean survival time 56.4 ± 35.01 and 51.4 ± 43.0 months, respectively (P = 0.245). Age < 2 years at implantation correlated with significantly lower valve survival rates (P < 0.001), while HC etiology showed no significant impact. Overdrainage alone accounted for more SA® revisions (39.8% vs. 3.1%, P < 0.001), while dysfunctions of the adjustment system represented the first cause of valve replacement in proSA® cohort (45.3%). The biomechanical analysis performed on 41 proSA® and 31 SA® showed deposits on the valve's internal surface in 97.6% and 90.3% of cases.

conclusionOur comparative study between proSA® and SA® valves in pediatric HC demonstrated that both valves showed similar survival rates, regardless of etiology but only with young age at implantation. The programmability may be beneficial in preventing sequelae of chronic overdrainage but does not reduce need for valve revision and proSA® valve should be considered in selected cases in growing children older than 2 years.

Indexed as

HydrocephalusCerebrospinal Fluid ShuntsChildChild, PreschoolFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesVentriculoperitoneal ShuntGravitational valveHydrocephalusOverdrainageproSA®SHUNTASSISTANT®Underdrainage

Identifiers

PMID37640980
PMCPMC10739459
OpenAlexW4386253333

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.