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. 2016 Mar:25:46-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2015.07.022. Epub 2015 Nov 6.

Risk factors associated with distal catheter migration following ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement

Kingsley O Abode-Iyamah  1 , Ryan Khanna  2 , Zachary D Rasmussen  3 , Oliver Flouty  4 , Nader S Dahdaleh  2 , Jeremy Greenlee  4 , Matthew A Howard 3rd  4
Affiliations

Risk factors associated with distal catheter migration following ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement

Kingsley O Abode-Iyamah et al. J Clin Neurosci. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement is used to treat hydrocephalus. Shunt migration following VP shunt placement has been reported. The risk factors related to this complication have not been previously evaluated to our knowledge. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to determine risk factors leading to distal catheter migration and review the literature on the current methods of management and prevention. Adult patients undergoing VP shunt placement from June 2011 to December 2013 at a single institution were identified using electronic health records. The records were reviewed for demographic and procedural information, and subsequent treatment characteristics. The parameters of patients with distal shunt migration were compared to those undergoing new VP shunt placement for the same time period. We identified 137 patients undergoing 157 new VP shunt procedures with an average age of 57.7 ± standard deviation of 18.4 years old. There were 16 distal shunt migrations. Body mass index >30 kg/m(2) and number of previous shunt procedures were found to be independent risk factors for distal catheter migration. Obesity and number of previous shunt procedures were factors for distal catheter migration. Providers and patients should be aware of these possible risk factors prior to VP shunt placement.

Keywords: Distal shunt revision; Shunt complication; Shunt malfunction; Shunt migration; Shunt revision; VP shunt.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest/Disclosures

The authors declare that they have no financial or other conflicts of interest in relation to this research and its publication.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Etiology of need for ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. IIH = idiopathic intracranial hypertension, NPH = normal pressure hydrocephalus, SAH = subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Incidence of distal catheter of ventriculoperitoneal shunt migration over time. The majority of shunt migrations (68.8%) occurred within the first 3 months after the procedure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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