Monocyte Count on Admission Is Predictive of Shunt-Dependent Hydrocephalus After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The authors sought to evaluate whether immunologic counts on admission were associated with shunt-dependent hydrocephalus following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A retrospective analysis of 143 consecutive patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage over a 9-year period was performed. A stepwise algorithm was followed for external ventricular drain weaning and determining the necessity of shunt placement. Data were compared between patients with and without shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. Overall, 11.19% of the cohort developed shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, acute hydrocephalus (OR: 61.027, 95% CI: 3.890–957.327; p = 0.003) and monocyte count on admission (OR: 3.362, 95% CI: 1.024–11.037; p = 0.046) were found to be independent predictors for shunt dependence. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for the prediction of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus confirmed that monocyte count exhibited an acceptable area under the curve (AUC = 0.737, 95% CI: 0.601–0.872; p < 0.001). The best predictive cutoff value to discriminate between successful external ventricular drain weaning and shunt-dependent hydrocephalus was identified as a monocyte count ≥0.80 × 10³/uL at initial presentation. These preliminary data demonstrate that a monocyte count ≥0.80 × 10³/uL at admission predicts shunt-dependent hydrocephalus in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage; however, further large-scale prospective trials and validation are necessary to confirm these findings.