Objectives: The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of isolated choroid plexus coagulation (CPC) as a treatment for hydrocephalus in various clinical settings and the variables associated with its success.

Methods: PubMed was searched for the terms (choroid plexus coagulation) OR (choroid plexus cauterization). Those studies published since 1990 were included so that they were relevant to current clinical practice. All studies evaluating the efficacy of CPC as an isolated procedure for treating hydrocephalus were included.

Results: The etiology, approach, and degree of CPC were significantly associated with the effectiveness of the procedure. The greatest effectiveness was reported in patients with hydranencephaly or maximum hydrocephalus (68.9%, p = 0.001276), when a parietal approach was used (74.4%, p = 0.000604), and when the temporal horn plexus was included (64.7 %, p = 0.048068). Furthermore, a case of choroid plexus hyperplasia (CPH) treated effectively with CPC is described. On the other hand, the type of electrode (p = 0.4631), the type of endoscope (p = 0.0699), and the presence of a previous ventriculoperitoneal shunt (p = 0.3241) were not significantly associated with the effectiveness of CPC.

Conclusions: CPC is a viable treatment alternative in the management of hydranencephaly, CPH, and in selected cases of hydrocephalus without the aforementioned characteristics. However, studies are needed to compare CPC with shunt therapies before qualifying it as the first line of treatment.