A needle in the lower back helped some children avoid a brain shunt
Original title: Lumbar fenestration to avoid shunting after posterior fossa tumor resection and failed ventriculostomy clamp trial.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors looked back at children already treated, so it is not proven by a trial.
The short version
Most children in this review avoided a permanent brain drain tube after a simple needle procedure.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at records of 44 children who had a tumor removed from the back of the brain. Each child had fluid buildup in the brain and a temporary drain. Each then had a needle procedure in the lower back to release fluid.
What they found. Of the 44 children, 33 did not need a shunt. The study reports that was 75% of them. No problems were linked to the needle procedure. Children whose brain fluid spaces stayed the same size or grew larger were more likely to need a shunt later.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: A shunt is a tube placed in the body to drain brain fluid, often for life. This simple procedure may help some children avoid one. Families can ask the surgery team if it is used at their hospital.
What it doesn't mean: This was a look back at past records at one children's hospital. It was not a trial, and no comparison group was used. So we cannot be sure the procedure itself caused the results. Some children still needed a shunt. It does nothing to treat the tumor, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, October 23, 2026 · Read the original
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