5-HYDROXYINDOLEACETIC ACID IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF HYDROCEPHALIC CHILDREN

There was a significant increase in the level of 5‐HIAA in lumbar CSF of children with hydrocephalus compared with “non‐hydroce‐phalic” children. In “non‐hydrocephalic” children the values of 5‐HIAA were found to be highest in the newborn successively decreasing to the levels of adult persons at the age of about one year. Prematurely born children seemed to have relatively higher levels of 5‐HIAA in CSF compared with full‐term children. Adult persons were not included in the study. The ventriculo‐lumbar ratio in different types of hydrocephalus was calculated. A diminished level of 5‐HIAA was measured after surgery with a functioning shunt. All the findings support the theory that the cause of the increased level of 5‐HIAA is a decreased elimination of the acid metabolite from CSF. Determination of 5‐HIAA in CSF might be a simple and useful diagnostic complement in various neurological diseases, where the suspicion of hydrocephalus has arisen. Copyright © 1969, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved