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You remain in the hospital under careful neurological observation for the first 24 hours after surgery. Most people are able to leave the hospital the next day, although some may need a longer stay.

Depending upon a person’s health before surgery, some people may be transferred to ��ɫtv Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation or another rehabilitation facility for 7 to 10 days of intensive physical therapy.

Once you are home, you follow up with your neurosurgeon within a couple of weeks to ensure the shunt is working properly.

About six to eight weeks after surgery, your doctor orders an MRI scan to check on the size of the ventricles and be certain that there are no other problems, such as bleeding. You follow up with your care team, which may include your neurologist and neurosurgeon, every few months over the course of a year to make sure your symptoms have subsided and that the shunt is operating correctly.

A shunt is permanent, but because it can malfunction, it may have to be repaired or replaced throughout a person’s life. Other rare but serious problems can include infection and bleeding, usually within the first few weeks after the surgery.

Most problems associated with shunt implantation, such as an obstruction along the shunt tube, occur weeks or even years after the surgery. Regular checkups with a neurologist or neurosurgeon are necessary so that doctors can look for any complications or shunt malfunction. ��ɫtv Langone doctors also educate people who have normal pressure hydrocephalus and their families on how to observe whether a shunt is working properly.

Your doctor may recommend physical therapy, occupational therapy—a treatment that helps people participate in the things they want and need to do in their daily lives—or other outpatient rehabilitation options after surgery to help you regain mobility and independence.