HE term "encephalocele" generally denotes a cephalic hernia through a congenital defect in the skull (cranium bifidum). The protrusions contain meninges and cerebrospinal fluid (cranial meningocele) and may also contain some portion of the brain (meningoencephalocele or encephalomeningocele). They may be partially or completely epithelialized. The great majority of encephaloceles are located in the occipital area. Anterior encephaloceles are uncommon and have been classified into sincipital varieties which visibly involve the nasofrontal region or the extremely rare basal ones which are hidden in the nasopharynx or orbit? The incidence of this malformation has been estimated at one in every 3000 to 10,000 live births. 11,~2 The clinical manifestations and surgical management of encephaloceles have been described in reports dealing for the most part with the larger related problems of spina bifida and myelomeningocele. ~,7,1~ There are no comprehensive surveys on the morbidity and the quality of survival in individuals born with different types of encephaloceles. I~rber, 11 however, has recently reviewed the prognosis of occipital encephaloceles in a series of infants. There is no comparison of the long-term outlook with this condition before and after ventriculoatrial shunt operations were widely adopted for controlling the hydrocephalus associated with many encephaloceles. This report analyzes the morbidity of encephaloceles and the results of treatment over a 20-year span through 1967 at the Indiana University Medical Center. The study interval includes the decade immediately before and that just after the first ventriculoatrial shunting operations were done at this in