Laparoscopic repositioning of a ventriculo-peritoneal catheter tip for a sterile abdominal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pseudocyst

Abstract

Abdominal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pseudocyst is an uncommon but well-described complication that is reported to occur in <1% of ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunts. Management options for pseudocysts include various types of shunt revisions, which recently have been conducted laparoscopically. We report the case of an 11-year-old girl in whom a sterile abdominal CSF pseudocyst was successfully fenestrated and the VP catheter repositioned using laparoscopy. This technique in the setting of a noninfected pseudocyst has proven to be safe, with results comparable to the conventional open technique. However, the long-term success rate is still unknown.