Unique complications of cerebrospinal fluid shunts in children - A Report of Two Cases

Abstract

The authors report on two cases with unusual CSF shunt complications. The first case had a peritoneal catheter which migrated down a patent processus vaginalis into a hydrocoele. The second case had an atrial catheter which perforated the atrial wall and came to lie in the pericardium causing an effusion. Clinicians should be aware of the frequent and occasionally bizarre complications of CSF shunting.

Postsurgical Complications after Spine Surgery

“…The treatment can be conservative, based on respiratory rehabilitation, or surgical. There is not consensus as to which is the most appropriate [6,7].…”

Herniotomy Alone as Treatment for Scrotal Migration of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt

“…Increased abdominal pressure following shunt insertion may prevent obliteration of the Processus vaginalis and facilitates migration of the VP shunt into the scrotum [2]. Smaller size of peritoneal cavity in infancy compared with older children could be another etiologic factor for VP shunt migration to Processus vaginalis [7].…”

Protrusion of ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter through the anal orifice. A rare abdominal complication

“…In such cases the ligation and closing of the peritoneal-vaginal conduit is the treatment of choice to solve the problem [8][9][10]. Extremely rare complications resulting from the VPS already described in the literature consist of intrahepatic cyst [11], gastric perforation, [12] and a single case of prosthesis protrusion through the anal orifice, described by Peter et al [13]. In this letter, we would like to address the calculation of the PPV and negative predictive value (NPV).…”