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Extrusion ofperitoneal catheter through a thoracic skin fistula: report of a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt S. Turtas, G. Orunesu
Su mmary
A very rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt is present ed. The tip ofthe dist al catheter extruded th ro ugh a skin fistula in the right subclavia n region. After th e replacement of a new cathe te r in the peritoneal cavity, inflammation of the overlying scar occurred. Then, a ventriculoatrial shunt was carried out. The authors suggest a possible m ech an ism ofthis complication. Key-Words Hydro cephalu s shunt - Shunt complica tions
Ventriculoperitoneal
Introductlon Th e lite ra ture documen ting unusual compli-
cauons after ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures is ext ensive both in the cephalic region and in the a bdo minal cavity (2). We report a very rare complication of this surgery with th e pe ritoneal catheter overtu rned in th e ab domin al and th or a cic su bcutaneo us tunnel. The tip ofthis cathete r beca me visible through a skin fistul a in the right subclavian region. Case report A 50-year-old housewife complaining of displacement of her peritoneal catheter was admitted to Dur Clinie on May,
3. 1988. Three years earlier, she underwent a decompressive posterior fossa craniectomy and atlas laminectomy at another hospital for a Arnold-Chiari type 1 malformation. Three days 1ater an acut e hydrocephalus developed which required the immediate installation of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt with a spring-suppcrted peritoneal tube. Inthe following years the patient was weIlwith the exception of some slight gait disturbanees.
Bythe middle ofApril 1988 she occasionallynoted a local skin inOammation in the rightsubclavianregion, connected with the shunt's tunnel. Afew days laterthe skin overlying the shunt Neurochirurgia 35 (1992) 121-1 22
Extrusion ofperitoneal catheter through a thoracic skin fistula: report of a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt S. Turtas, G. Orunesu
Su mmary
A very rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt is present ed. The tip ofthe dist al catheter extruded th ro ugh a skin fistula in the right subclavia n region. After th e replacement of a new cathe te r in the peritoneal cavity, inflammation of the overlying scar occurred. Then, a ventriculoatrial shunt was carried out. The authors suggest a possible m ech an ism ofthis complication. Key-Words Hydro cephalu s shunt - Shunt complica tions
Ventriculoperitoneal
Introductlon Th e lite ra ture documen ting unusual compli-
cauons after ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures is ext ensive both in the cephalic region and in the a bdo minal cavity (2). We report a very rare complication of this surgery with th e pe ritoneal catheter overtu rned in th e ab domin al and th or a cic su bcutaneo us tunnel. The tip ofthis cathete r beca me visible through a skin fistul a in the right subclavian region. Case report A 50-year-old housewife complaining of displacement of her peritoneal catheter was admitted to Dur Clinie on May,
3. 1988. Three years earlier, she underwent a decompressive posterior fossa craniectomy and atlas laminectomy at another hospital for a Arnold-Chiari type 1 malformation. Three days 1ater an acut e hydrocephalus developed which required the immediate installation of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt with a spring-suppcrted peritoneal tube. Inthe following years the patient was weIlwith the exception of some slight gait disturbanees.
Bythe middle ofApril 1988 she occasionallynoted a local skin inOammation in the rightsubclavianregion, connected with the shunt's tunnel. Afew days laterthe skin overlying the shunt Neurochirurgia 35 (1992) 121-1 22
