title: Ventriculoatrial shunt catheter displacement in a child with partial anomalous pulmonary venous return: case report.
abstract: Ventriculoatrial (VA) shunts remain the most used alternative to ventriculoperitoneal shunts in infants with hydrocephalus. The authors report a case of an acute VA shunt malfunction as a result of distal catheter displacement in an 18-month-old girl with partial anomalous pulmonary venous return. The child presented with respiratory compromise, and a chest radiograph revealed a lung infiltrate and normal position of the distal shunt catheter tip. Computed tomography demonstrated stable ventricle size in comparison with previous studies. As the patient's respiratory distress progressed, she required intubation, mechanical ventilation with high airway pressures and inspired oxygen concentrations, muscle relaxants, and sedation. A routine morning chest radiograph several days after admission revealed displacement of the distal catheter into the left innominate vein. Later that day the child's pupils were noted to be large and unreactive and a distal shunt malfunction was diagnosed. Complications of VA shunts and the presumed mechanism by which the catheter became displaced are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami and Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
authors.forename: Mohamed Samy A
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Elhammady
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Benglis
authors.forename: Sanjiv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ragheb
mesh_terms: D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000601:surgery; D007223:Infant; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000002:abnormalities*