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Case Reports
. 2022 Sep 23:9:1012720.
doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2022.1012720. eCollection 2022.

Case report: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt disconnection resulting in migration of the distal catheter entirely into the abdominal cavity due to seizure

Xiang Yang  1 , Chaohua Yang  1 , Yuekang Zhang  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Case report: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt disconnection resulting in migration of the distal catheter entirely into the abdominal cavity due to seizure

Xiang Yang et al. Front Surg. .

Abstract

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt disconnection, a VP shunt complication, can be caused by several factors. We report the case of a young man who suffered VP shunt disconnection, and whose entire distal catheter migrated into the abdominal cavity due to a seizure. To our knowledge, risk factors for seizures related to shunt disconnection have not been previously evaluated. We report this rare case to highlight the fact that seizures are not negligible in increasing the probability of disconnection and migration of the entire distal catheter into the abdominal cavity, and the standardized treatment of traumatic seizures is extremely important.

Keywords: catheter; disconnection; seizure; valve; ventriculoperitoneal (VP).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CT showing obvious ventriculomegaly association with extravasation of CSF and the ventricular end of the catheter placed in the correct position (red arrows) (A–C). CT shows the valve (D, red arrow) and the metal connector (red arrows) (E). CT shows the distal catheter disappearing at the joint (F).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chest and whole abdomen CT showing no subcutaneous shunt catheter (A,B). CT shows the distal catheter placed entirely in the abdominal cavity without knotting (red arrows) (C–E). Postoperative CT shows the reserved distal catheter placed in the pelvic cavity accompanied by CSF drainage (red arrows) (F).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chest and whole abdomen computed tomography showing the distal catheter placed entirely in the abdominal cavity without knotting (red arrows).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The cranial computed tomography examinations on the 5th (A) and 20th (B) postoperative days confirmed that the ventricle system was gradually narrowed.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Timeline of the symptoms, management, and outcomes of the patient.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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