Unusual cause for ventriculoperitoneal shunt failure: carcinoma breast compressing distal catheter.
Insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is one of the most common surgical procedures in any neurosurgery unit worldwide. Distal catheter obstruction outside the peritoneum is a rare cause of shunt failure. We report the first case of distal obstruction in a 70-year old female by carcinoma breast engulfing the catheter and causing kinking. Intraoperatively, the catheter was intratumoral with no flow of cerebrospinal fluid distally. She underwent relocation of a new catheter to the opposite side of the abdomen and modified mastectomy with resolution of the hydrocephalus. The postoperative course has been uneventful.
Roka
Yam B
YB
Neurological Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal. dryamroka@yahoo.com
Gupta
R
R
Bajracharya
A
A
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects*