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Ventriculoatrial shunt displacement by a central venous catheter in pediatrics: report of two atypical cases

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Abstract

Introduction

The treatment of hydrocephalus accounts for 40% of all procedures in pediatric neurosurgery. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement is the treatment of choice for most patients. When contraindicated due to different abdominal complications, the use of a ventriculoatrial shunt is a safe second option. Nevertheless, this procedure is not without risk of complications. An extremely rare complication is the displacement of the distal catheter by a central venous catheter.

Case report

We present two atypical cases of shunt dysfunction related to the placement of a central venous catheter.

Conclusion

After an extensive review of the literature, we believe these are the first cases of this unusual complication in children. Awareness of this complication is essential for its prevention and to ensure safe medical care.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the sensitive nature of the information and because the participants are underage but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Hospital de Pediatría Juan P. Garrahan, Combate de los Pozos 1881, ZC, 1407, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Christian G. Pirozzi Chiusa, Yamila Basilotta, Eugenia Badaloni, Romina Argañaraz & Beatriz Mantese

Authors
  1. Christian G. Pirozzi Chiusa
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  2. Yamila Basilotta
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  3. Eugenia Badaloni
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  4. Romina Argañaraz
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  5. Beatriz Mantese
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Yamila Basilotta, Eugenia Badaloni, and Romina Argañaraz. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Christian Gabriel Pirozzi Chiusa and Beatriz Mantese and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian G. Pirozzi Chiusa.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of Garrahan’s Pediatric Hospital.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent for publication

Patients signed informed consent regarding publishing their data and photographs.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors do not present conflicts of interest.

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Chiusa, C.G.P., Basilotta, Y., Badaloni, E. et al. Ventriculoatrial shunt displacement by a central venous catheter in pediatrics: report of two atypical cases. Childs Nerv Syst 39, 2251–2254 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-023-05981-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-023-05981-6

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