[Pneumocephalus caused by failed ventricular tap: case report].
OBJECTIVE
Ventricular tap is one of the most basic and important techniques to neurosurgeon. Brain tap itself usually does not cause symptomatic complication. The authors report an extremely rare complication case of pneumocephalus caused by failed ventricular tap.


METHODS
A 79-year-old woman suffered from normal pressure hydrocephalus after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt was performed two month after SAH. In the operation, ventricular taps were failed twice and third tap was successful for ventricular catheterization through the right posterior parietal burr hole. She presented left hemiparesis from three hours after the operation, and her symptom was gradually deteriorated to complete paralysis the next day. Computed tomography scan disclosed the movement of air along the tract of failed ventricular tap from subcortex to internal capsule.


CONCLUSIONS
Failed ventricular tap could cause severe complications. We have to try to perform ventricular tap by only one attempt.
Meguro
Toshinari
T
Department of Neurological Surgery, Hiroshima City Hospital, Japan.
Terada
Kinya
K
Hirotsune
Nobuyuki
N
Nishino
Shigeki
S
Asano
Taku
T
Manabe
Taketoshi
T
D000368:Aged; D014695:Cerebral Ventriculography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000601:surgery*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D011007:Pneumocephalus / Q000209:etiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods