Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Tip as a Rare Cause for Recurrent Pain Episodes in a Child: Think Irritable Peritoneum

Abstract

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting is an established treatment to regulate the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus. Several complications (e.g. blockage of CSF shunting, overdrainage, but also catheter-related perforation of abdominal organs, etc.) may occur and may lead to painful episodes, mostly headache, in these children. Here, we report on a 7-year-old child with recurrent painful episodes after revision of a VP shunt that subsided only after repositioning of the abdominal tip of the VP shunt. Visceral irritation by a malpositioned VP shunt should be considered as a cause for recurrent pain in non-verbal children without other relevant clinical findings.