Introduction: External ventricular drainage (EVD) is a common technique employed for the treatment of acute hydrocephalus. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effect of age in the EVD-associated complication rates and in the final functional status.

Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of patients that need an EVD for hydrocephalus in the period from 2010-2014 was performed. Two age-groups were compared: > 60 years-old and 18-60 years-old. Non-parametric tests were used for comparing the distribution of clinical factors and the incidence of complications. Uni- and multivariate analysis were employed for determining differences in the functional status at the moment of discharge and at 6-months follow-up. Functional outcome was evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS).

Results: Fifty-eight patients (27 women) with an average age of 57.24 years (SD = 16.49) were evaluated in this study. Thirty patients (10 women) were included in the group of > 60 years-old. The main differences between the studied groups were in sex distribution (more males in > 60 years-old group); the rate of obstruction (higher in younger patients); and the functional outcome at discharge and at 6 months follow-up (worse GOS categories in > 60 years-old patients). Furthermore, the age was the only factor that showed statistically association with poor prognosis in the uni- and multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: The age can be considered as a factor involved in the functional status after an acute hydrocephalus treated with an EVD. This factor should be taken into consideration at the moment of making the decision of EVD insertion.