BACKGROUND Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement is one of the most commonly performed procedures in neurosurgery. One rare complication is the formation of an abdominal pseudocyst, which can cause shunt malfunction. CASE DESCRIPTIONS We present four unique cases of abdominal pseudocyst formation. Our first patient initially presented with a right upper quadrant pseudocyst. Shunt was exte...

BACKGROUND The transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) technique for measuring cardiac output (CO) has never been validated in the presence of a left-to-right shunt. METHODS In this experimental, paediatric animal model, nine lambs with a surgically constructed aorta-pulmonary left-to-right shunt were studied under various haemodynamic conditions. CO was measured with closed and open shunt using...

OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of primary ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection among patients treated at neurosurgical centres of the Hospital Authority and to identify underlying risk factors. METHODS This multicentre historical cohort study included consecutive patients who underwent primary ventriculoperitoneal shunting at a Hospital Authority neurosurgery centre from 1 January 2009...

Ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPSs) are used for the treatment of hydrocephalus. Here we analyzed the outcomes of VPS placements in 24 infants to determine the risk factors for shunt failure. The infants had undergone the initial VPS operation in our hospital between March 2005 and December 2013. They were observed until the end of January 2014. We obtained Kaplan-Meier curves and performed a mu...

OBJECT The author investigated the 1-year outcomes for shunt treatment of hydrocephalic children in Uganda, comparing the results using the inexpensive Chhabra shunt ($35 US dollars), widely used in East Africa, with those using the Codman-Hakim Micro Precision Valve shunt ($650). METHODS The results in 195 consecutive children (mostly infants) in whom shunts were placed were studied prospect...

This report describes a new test of patency of the ventricular component of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt that precludes injection into the shunt reservoir. Preliminary clinical experience confirms that digital compression of the ventricular shunt reservoir (Cordis standard and pediatric reservoir), while occluding the shunt distal to the reservoir, generates microbubbles that increase the echog...

OBJECTIVE Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt complication is a major obstacle in the management of hydrocephalus. To study the differences of VP shunt complications between children and adults, we analyzed shunt revision surgery performed at our hospital during the past 10 years. METHODS Patients who had undergone shunt revision surgery from January 2001 to December 2010 were evaluated retrospec...

BACKGROUND Hydrocephalus is the abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles and subarachnoid spaces, resulting in increased intracranial pressure. The treatment of choice is placement of ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt blockage is not an uncommon complication. Objective of the study was to find out the frequency, causes and site of ventriculoperiton...

Displacement of distal ventriculo-atrial (VA) shunt is not uncommon. However, misplacement of the distal catheter of VA shunt in the internal jugular vein is a possibility, especially when conducted without intraoperative monitoring. We describe a patient in whom a VA shunt was performed due to failure of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt and the distal catheter of the shunt was found to be misplaced...

PATIENT Female, 14 months FINAL DIAGNOSIS Slit ventricle syndrome Symptoms: Hydrocephalus • lethargy and seizure • vomiting MEDICATION - Clinical Procedure: - Specialty: Pediatrics and Neonatology. OBJECTIVE Challenging differential diagnosis. BACKGROUND Shunt surgery is a common solution for hydrocephalus in infancy. Slit ventricle syndrome and secondary craniosynostosis are late-onset...