title: Shunt dysfunction due to calcification of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt: a case report.
abstract: Calcification and related dysfunction of ventriculo-peritoneal shunts are rare events in neurosurgical practice. Shunt calcification causes shunt dysfunction in two ways, namely disconnection and obstruction. We present a 16-year-old girl with shunt malfunction due to disconnection secondary to calcification. The shunt tubing fractured during attempted removal and some of the remaining components, including the ventricular catheter, had to be left in situ. The shunt was revised and the patients symptoms resolved. Replacement of the calcified and perished shunt components with a new shunt is essential. Aggressive surgical manipulation for removal of the remaining shunt components is not advisable as this may increase morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Black Sea Technical University, School of Medicine, TR-61080, Trabzon, Turkey. ecakir@meds.ktu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Ertuğrul
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cakir
authors.forename: Kayhan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuzeyli
authors.forename: Haydar
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Usul
authors.forename: Bekircan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peksoylu
authors.forename: Gökalp
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karaarslan
authors.forename: Kadriye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yildiz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000295:instrumentation*