A randomised trial of high and low pressure level settings on an adjustable ventriculoperitoneal shunt valve for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: results of the Dutch evaluation programme Strata shunt (DEPSS) trial.

Background: In treating idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) with a shunt there is always a risk of underdrainage or overdrainage. The hypothesis is tested whether patients treated using an adjustable valve preset at the highest opening pressure leads to comparable good clinical results with less subdural effusions than in a control group with an opening pressure preset at a low pressure level.

Methods: A multicentre prospective randomised trial was performed on a total of 58 patients suspected of INPH.