Four-year experience with the routine use of the programmable Hakim valve in the management of children with hydrocephalus.

Objective: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) over- and underdrainage symptoms are frequent sequelae of shunt placement in patients with hydrocephalus, sometimes requiring repeated operations. To achieve more adequate CSF drainage, the non-invasively programmable Hakim valve has been developed. Because the clinical experiences with this valve so far are confined to adults, we describe our experiences with the routine use of the programmable Hakim valve in childhood hydrocephalus.