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Background This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the risk of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus among patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with either coil placement or clipping. Methods A systematic literature search of Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was performed to confirm relevant studies. The scientific literature was screened in accordance with the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. After quality assessment and data extraction from the eligible studies, a meta-analysis was conducted using the STATA 12.0 software (Stata corporation, College Station, Texas, USA). Results Thirteen studies met all inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. In total, these studies included 13,751 patients. Of the patients, 8444 of them underwent neurosurgical clipping, and 5307 underwent endovascular coiling. The overall result of a pooled estimate revealed there was no statistically significant risk of shunt dependency difference between the clipping and coiling groups (11.4% vs. 12.0%, respectively; relative risk [RR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84–1.01). Six prospective studies (n = 1373) reported shunt-dependent hydrocephalus revealed no significant difference between clipping and coiling (23.3% vs. 20.1%, respectively; RR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.91–1.38). Seven retrospective studies (n = 12,378) reported shunt-dependent hydrocephalus found statistical significance between the surgical and endovascular treatment groups (10.0% vs. 11.1%, respectively; RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79–0.98). Conclusions Microsurgical clipping and endovascular coiling of ruptured cerebral aneurysms are associated with similar incidences of ventricular shunt placement for hydrocephalus. The risk of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus is not higher after coiling than after clipping of ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Highlights • Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a potentially devastating neurologic event. • Investigating the incidence of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus after treatment of intracranial aneurysm is of great importance. • Our aim was to evaluate the risk of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus among patients treated with coil placement and clipping. • Clipping and coiling are associated with similar incidences of ventricular shunt placement for hydrocephalus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]