Neurosurgery in Lagos
VP shunt surgery for hydrocephalus in Nigeria
A written all-in price after a consultation from ₦50,000 in Lagos, so you know the total before anything is booked.
How the price is set
Consultation, then a written price
From ₦50,000
Consultant surgical opinion
- The neurosurgeon and the anaesthetist
- Theatre time
- The shunt system or the endoscope, as planned
- Your bed, nursing care and medication for the planned stay
Your written price covers the lines above, agreed before you pay.
VP Shunt for Hydrocephalus at Mezo Health in Lagos, Nigeria is priced in a written quote after a consultation from ₦50,000, because the right operation and its cost depend on what the surgeon finds. The quote covers the neurosurgeon and the anaesthetist, theatre time, and reviews with the neurosurgeon after discharge. Prices last checked 3 November 2026.
Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid in the brain. A ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is a thin tube placed by a neurosurgeon to drain the fluid from the brain to the tummy, where the body absorbs it. It stays in for life. Some children and adults can have an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) instead, which makes a small opening inside the brain so the fluid can drain without a tube. Mezo does not run a heart or brain surgery unit. The surgeon who reviews your case tells you where the operation can be done safely, in Nigeria or elsewhere, and why.
Also called: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt, VP shunt, Shunt surgery, Hydrocephalus surgery, Endoscopic third ventriculostomy, ETV, Shunt revision
Medically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana
How the price is set
Written quote after consultation
Consultant surgical opinion: from ₦50,000
There is no published price. A surgeon reviews your scans and reports first and writes a plan. A written quote follows only once a hospital team that does this operation has agreed to take your case, and it does not move without your written agreement.
What your written quote covers
- The neurosurgeon and the anaesthetist
- Theatre time
- The shunt system or the endoscope, as planned
- Your bed, nursing care and medication for the planned stay
- Reviews with the neurosurgeon after discharge
Not in the quote
- The first consultation
- Scans of the head before surgery
- A later operation to revise or replace a shunt
What decides your quote
- A shunt or an ETV
- The type of shunt valve chosen
- A baby who also needs newborn intensive care
- A longer stay than planned
Most HMO plans cap or exclude major heart and brain surgery. Bring your HMO number to the first consultation and the desk will ask what your plan covers. You are told the cash position before anything is booked.
How we pick your surgeon
Every Mezo surgeon is MDCN verified and approved for this operation before they take a case. You meet them before you pay.
Is it right for you
Who this is for
A good fit
- A baby or child with hydrocephalus confirmed on a scan
- A baby with spina bifida who develops fluid on the brain
- An adult with hydrocephalus after bleeding, infection or a tumour, or normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Someone whose existing shunt has blocked or become infected
When it is not the right answer
- A child or adult with a blocked or infected shunt today: go to an emergency department now
- Mild enlargement of the fluid spaces that is not under pressure, which may only need watching
What happens
The pathway, step by step
- 1
Consultation and scan review₦50,000
A surgeon reads the head scan and examines your child or you.
- 2
A written plan
Shunt or ETV, and which neurosurgical team can do it.
- 3
Finding the operating team
Mezo helps arrange the referral to a team that does this operation and agrees to take the case.
- 4
A written quote
From that team, in writing, before admission.
- 5
The operation
About an hour under general anaesthetic.
- 6
Follow-up₦25,000
Head size and development checks for a child, and a plan for what to do if the shunt fails.
Afterwards
Recovery, realistically
First days
Most children and adults go home within a few days.
First weeks
Keep the wounds clean and dry. Infection is most likely in the first few months.
Lifelong
A shunt can block or become infected at any time. Know the warning signs and carry a shunt alert card.
Risks you should be told about
- Shunt blockage, needing an emergency operation to replace it
- Shunt infection, most often in the first months
- Too much or too little fluid drained
- Bleeding in the brain, uncommon
Every operation carries risk. A surgeon who lists none is not being straight with you. Yours will go through these with you before you consent.
Questions people ask
Will my child need more operations?
Often, yes. Shunts can block or become infected, and many children need a shunt revised at some point. That is why follow-up and knowing the warning signs matter so much.
What are the signs a shunt has stopped working?
The same as hydrocephalus itself: headache, vomiting, drowsiness, irritability, and in babies a bulging soft spot or a growing head. Fever with redness along the shunt suggests infection. Go to an emergency department straight away.
Is an ETV better than a shunt?
It avoids a tube for life, but it suits only some causes of hydrocephalus and some ages. The neurosurgeon decides from the scan.
Medically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
Sources and further reading
The guidelines and patient information this page is checked against. Care in Nigeria follows the same evidence; what differs is the price and where it is done.
- Hydrocephalus. NHS. Patient information.
- Hydrocephalus: complications. NHS. Patient information.
Links last checked 3 November 2026.
Keep reading
More on Mezo
Related on Mezo
Other treatments
Related health guides
Prices shown are in naira and were last checked on 3 November 2026. A “from” price is the all-in starting price for the standard case. Every operation is confirmed in a written quote after your consultation, because the right operation for you, and its cost, depend on what the surgeon finds.