Scrotal migration of lumboperitoneal shunt catheter in an adult--case report

Abstract

A 57-year-old man presented with recurrent parasagittal anaplastic meningioma of frontoparietal region. The tumor was extensively removed, and the dura was repaired with Gore-Tex surgical membrane. After the operation, subcutaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection was observed in the fronto-parietal area and a lumboperitoneal shunt was placed. Four weeks after the shunt procedure, he complained of right scrotal swelling and recurrence of the CSF collection. Radiography revealed the coiled catheter in the scrotum. The catheter was surgically removed through a small incision in the skin of the scrotum under local anesthesia. Lumboperitoneal shunt is a simple and useful procedure to control CSF pressure, but catheter migration has been reported in infants and children. Shunt catheter can migrate into the scrotum even in an adult, as the vaginal process, through which the catheter seemed to have entered the scrotum, is patent in 5% of the adult population. In these cases, direct removal through a small incision is appropriate to remove the catheter.