Amenorrhea after Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy for a Failed Shunt in Spina Bifida: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Secondary endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for the management of shunt failure may be efficacious, though it may be followed by more frequent complications (including endocrinological impairment, e.g., amenorrhea) compared to primary ETV. These complications are usually underreported in the literature.

Aim: We report a case of secondary amenorrhea after ETV for the management of shunt failure in a young woman with hydrocephalus associated with myelomeningocele.

Methods: A 25-year-old woman affected by hydrocephalus and myelomeningocele was admitted for secondary ETV for the management of shunt failure. The endoscopic procedure was preferred over shunt revision based on good results of secondary ETV, especially in patients with hydrocephalus associated with Chiari II malformation and spina bifida.

Results: Despite the surgery being uneventful, the patient had early (postoperative seizure) and late (secondary amenorrhea) complications. In the early postoperative period, she received external ventricular drainage followed by VP shunt reimplantation 2 weeks later. There was no neurological morbidity, but 1 month after the ETV she reported secondary amenorrhea and weight gain. Laboratory investigations ruled out hyperprolactinemia, which had been treated with cabergoline administration with no efficacy since the patient was still without regular periods 1 year later.

Conclusion: ETV may be followed by endocrinological complications like amenorrhea that are rarely reported.