Low incidence of delayed intracerebral hemorrhage secondary to ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion.
OBJECTIVE
Bleeding into the brain parenchyma or ventricles is an infrequently reported complication in adults who undergo insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. The purpose of this study was to establish the incidence of delayed intracerebral hemorrhage secondary to ventricular cannulation during shunting procedures.


METHODS
Over a 24-year period, in a series of 125 adult patients with hydrocephalus, postoperative computerized tomography scans were obtained in every case within 48 hours of shunt surgery performed by the same neurosurgeon. The rate of delayed intracerebral hematoma or intraventricular hemorrhage after VP shunt placement was documented by routine neuroradiological follow up to be 4%.


CONCLUSIONS
In adult patients with no coagulopathy or occult vascular lesions, the rate of bleeding after VP shunt insertion may be low if the procedure is uncomplicated by multiple attempts at perforation, puncture of the choroid plexus, or improper placement of the tubing within the parenchyma of the brain.
Savitz
M H
MH
Department of Radiology, Good Samaritan Hospital, Suffern, New York, USA. drbcasey@aol.com
Bobroff
L M
LM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects*