Intraabdominal complications secondary to ventriculoperitoneal shunts: CT findings and review of the literature.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to evaluate the abdominopelvic CT findings of various intraabdominal complications secondary to ventriculoperitoneal shunts for hydrocephalus and to review the literature.


METHODS
The CT images of 70 patients (33 men and 37 women; mean age, 48.5 years) who underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement and abdominopelvic CT because of shunt-related abdominal symptoms were reviewed retrospectively. CT images were analyzed with regard to the location of the shunting catheter tip; site, size, wall, and septa of localized fluid collection; peritoneal thickening; omentomesentery infiltration; abscess; bowel perforation; abdominal wall infiltration; and thickening of the catheter track wall.


RESULTS
The mean period between the last ventriculoperitoneal shunting operation and CT was 11 months (range, 1 week to 115 months), and the mean number of ventriculoperitoneal shunting operations undergone was 1.4 (range, 1-6). A total of 76 ventriculoperitoneal shunting catheters were introduced in 70 patients: 64 patients had a unilateral catheter inserted and six patients had bilateral catheters inserted. Sixteen patients (22.9%) were pathologically diagnosed with ventriculoperitoneal shunt-related complications: 11 cases (15.7%) of shunt infection, six cases (8.6%) of CSF pseudocyst, four cases (5.7%) of abdominal abscess, three cases (4.3%) of infected fluid collection, and one case (1.4%) of bowel perforation. Microorganisms were cultured from the tip of the shunting catheter or peritoneal fluid in 11 patients (15.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
On abdominopelvic CT, various intraabdominal complications secondary to ventriculoperitoneal shunt were shown, of which, shunt infection was the most common, followed by CSF pseudocyst, abscess, and infected fluid collection.
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Gangnam-gu, 135-720 Seoul, Korea. jjchung@yuhs.ac
Jae-Joon
JJ
Chung
Jeong-Sik
JS
Yu
Joo Hee
JH
Kim
Se Jin
SJ
Nam
Myeong-Jin
MJ
Kim
D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
D003287:Contrast Media