title: Echocardiographic detection of intracardiac thrombi complicating ventriculo-atrial shunt. Report of two cases.
abstract: Right atrial thrombi are rare but serious complications of ventriculoatrial (VA) shunts. Two hydrocephalic patients who received a VA shunt developed thromboembolic complications. The initial manifestation was malfunction of the distal end of the shunt and right heart failure. Bidimensional echocardiography demonstrated an intracardiac mass on the distal intra-auricular end of the shunt. Pulmonary scan showed multiple emboli even in the asymptomatic patient. This demonstrates the important role of bidimensional echography as a noninvasive diagnostic technique for this particular complication of a VA shunt. Medical and surgical treatment modalities are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ladouceur
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giroux
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002648:Child; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012086:Reoperation; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*