Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Diagnostic Dilemma Of Shunt Malfunction And Statistical Analysis Of Symptoms, Allison Campbell

Haslam Scholars Projects

The purpose of this study was to collect and tabulate data from case studies about ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt malfunctions and determine if correlations exist between the possible cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt malfunction causes and the symptoms of these malfunctions. Close associations between the two variables would contribute to identifying causal relationships, to decrease time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis to avoid invasive procedures during the diagnosing process. Case studies involving VP shunt malfunctions within the past five years were identified. Chi-square tests were performed to assess the interdependence of shunt symptoms and their causes. Unadjusted odds ratios were calculated …