Patients under the age of 15 years who were hospitalized for hydroceph
alus in Yaounde were studied. Among the 8.843 pediatric admissions bet
ween January 1, 1982 and May 31, 1991, 130 (1.5 %) were for hydrocepha
lus. Among patients aged 0 to 24 months, 69 met predefined eligibility
criteria. Most patients (69.6 %) were under six months of age. Female
-to-male ratio was 1.3. Hydrocephalus was acquired in 56.5 % of cases,
idiopathic in 26.1 %, and accompanied with spina bifida in 17.4 %. Fo
rty-two patients underwent neurological imaging including transfontane
llar ultrasonography in 30 cases and computed tomography in 12. These
investigations identified a cause in 18 patients, of whom ten had Arno
ld-Chiari malformation. Thirty patients had insertion of a ventriculop
eritoneal shunt. Postoperative complications included valve infection
in ten cases, catheter obstruction in 6, and catheter migration in the
anus in one.