Exactly how common is vp shunt independence? will young people eventually outgrow the need for one as they grow older?

Shunt indepedence: A common asked question but a commonly unknown answer. Very few patients with shunts truly become independent, in my own experience it is probably only about 5%. There is a surgery, known as a iiird ventriculostomy where a hole can be made at the base of the brain to bypass the fluid obstruction - if successful the shunt can be removed but not all patients fulfill the criteria for this operation.