I'm 35 and have been shunted my whole life. I have never been told I can't see my neurosurgeon unless I'm having a shunt issue. I've been told I need to see one at least once a year, even when my shunt is working. How else are you supposed to know if it's your shunt not working or something else?
You can also have what they term as Slit Ventricle Sydrome. That happens to people who have been shunted a long time. The ventricels get very small and on a CT scan, they can look normal to a doctor who does not compare the new scan to the old scans.
I have severe slit vents. they are basicly non-existent. My doctor is concerned if he turns down my pressure any, my vents would collapse. I am very sensitve to any increese in pressure.