The treatment of hydrocephalus: a brief guide to shunt selection.

The placement of a cerebrospinal fluid shunt system is a procedure that most neurosurgeons feel comfortable performing. The procedure is fraught with many pitfalls and the choices of equipment are staggering. We review the recent literature on shunt systems. We describe the newer shunt systems and procedures and identify possible roles for them in shunt procedures by the neurosurgeon in practice.