title: Intracardiac migration of a distal shunt catheter: an unusual complication of ventricular shunts. Report of 2 cases.
abstract: Unusual complications of peritoneal shunts are a well-known occurrence. The authors present 2 cases of intracardiac migration of a distal shunt catheter, summarizing the diagnosis and management of each case. This complication seems to be a rare occurrence; the transgression of the jugular vein leading to intracardiac migration of a shunt catheter has been reported only 6 times previously. The authors highlight the importance of careful and proper placement of the distal peritoneal catheter during the tunneling process, in particular avoiding too deep a penetration of the shunt passer into the neck tissues and too medial a shunt passage near the sternal notch to avoid vascular structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rizk
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verbrugge
authors.forename: Frederick A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Boop
mesh_terms: D002404:Catheterization; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006325:Heart Atria; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins; D012086:Reoperation; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods