Abstract
Abdominal complications related to VP shunting may present a diversity of causes and include different clinical manifestations, ranging from mild to quite severe conditions. Complications related to distal catheter migration and visceral perforation and/or extrusion, ascites, and peritoneal pseudocysts have been recognized and treated in neurosurgical practice, and all of them can be grouped and named as “nonfunctional abdominal complication of distal catheter.”
Sterile ascites is defined by CSF accumulation in the peritoneal cavity without loculation and proved negative viral and bacterial cultures and Gram stains from the ascitic fluid. It is a rare complication of VP shunts and can lead to shunt malfunction. In the majority of cases, pseudocysts develop after infection and subsequent peritonitis causes the pathological accumulation of CSF ascites inside a cyst. In sterile ascites, however, no known infective cause is found. Treatment usually consists of changing the cavity of CSF diversion from peritoneum to jugular/atrial or pleural spaces after excluding infective causes or immune responses to silicone tubing.
Pseudocysts are loculated intra-abdominal fluid collections developing around the peritoneal catheter. Although in some cases, fluid inside the cyst is sterile the majority of CSF pseudocysts are associated with shunt infections. Infected fluid requires shunt removal, external ventricular drain insertion, and antibiotics. Then, a new cavity is usually chosen for the insertion of the peritoneal catheter. Alternatives include ventriculo-jugular/atrial shunt, pleural diversion, or omental bursa.
Anal extrusion of the distal peritoneal catheter is a rare complication of VP shunts. Granulomatous reaction to a foreign body or preexisting conditions including maldevelopment of bowel anatomy could be linked to some other cases. Trauma during the operation, with unnoticed perforation of a hollow viscus should also be taken into consideration.
Other rare complications of VP shunt surgery including allergic reaction, migration, intestinal volvulus, abdominal wall perforation, or VPS-related abdominal metastases originating from brain tumors are discussed in detail and bibliography reviewed.
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Hinojosa, J. (2015). Complications of Peritoneal Shunts. In: Di Rocco, C., Turgut, M., Jallo, G., Martínez-Lage, J. (eds) Complications of CSF Shunting in Hydrocephalus. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09961-3_13
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