Sterile ascites from a ventriculoperitoneal shunt: a case report and review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Symptomatic, sterile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ascites is a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery. To date, reports in the literature have linked this unusual circumstance to various intra-abdominal, CNS, or nonspecific inflammatory causes.


METHODS
We present the case of a four-year-old boy with a recently fenestrated arachnoid cyst and VP shunt, who presented with sudden-onset, sterile CSF ascites. The ascites resolved with conversion of the preexisting VP shunt to a ventriculoatrial shunt.
Diluna
Michael L
ML
Department of Neurosurgery, TMP 4, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. michael.diluna@yale.edu
Johnson
Michele H
MH
Bi
Wenya Linda
WL
Chiang
Veronica L
VL
Duncan
Charles C
CC
D016080:Arachnoid Cysts / Q000601:surgery*; D001201:Ascites / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000295:instrumentation; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006325:Heart Atria; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014696:Ventriculostomy