Innovative Use of Denver Shunt in a Child with Generalized Lymphatic Anomaly

Abstract

Denver shunts can be utilized for the creation of internal drainage pathways besides its traditional uses for draining peritoneal and pleural fluids.

Use of Pleuroperitoneal Shunt in Chylothorax Related to Central Line Associated Thrombosis in Sickle Cell Disease

“…However, there is little information on the use of a PP shunt in cases of chylothorax in SCD. In pediatrics, the most common uses of a PP shunt has been in congenital chylothorax due to a lymphatic anomaly or chylothorax as a post-operative complication, most commonly from repair of congenital heart disease [ 7 ]. As early as 1999, a review of 15 cases was done in children with PP shunts with exteriorized pump chambers and the researchers found the mean age at time of placement was 2.1 years (with an age range of 0.1–11.5 years), the most common indication was refractory chylothorax after repair of congenital heart disease, the mean chylothorax duration before shunt placement was 76 days (with a range of 5–810 days) and shunts were in place for an average of 104 days (with a range of 12–365 days) [ 8 ].…”

Pleuroperitoneal (Denver) Shunt for Recurrent Nonmalignant Breast Seroma in a Metastatic Breast Cancer Patient

“…Because of the shunt’s ability to have both pressure-dependent flow and manual pump flow, it has been used off-label to treat numerous different disease conditions. 1 – 7 For this reason, we used a pleuroperitoneal (Denver) shunt for a recurrent, nonmalignant breast seroma in the palliation of metastatic breast cancer as a novel use of this shunt.…”