title: Direct cardiac ventriculoatrial shunt: technical note.
abstract: There are a number of choices for placement of the distal catheter during ventricular shunting for hydrocephalic patients. In very rare instances, patients with multiple revisions can no longer have their shunt placed in the routine locations. We describe the placement of the distal catheter into the atrium through direct cardiac access, a technique described decades ago but rarely needed in clinical practice. This can be a useful location in the limited number of patients who have exhausted other more routine locations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa., USA. heuerg@email.chop.edu
authors.forename: Gregory G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Heuer
authors.forename: Nathan J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Ranalli
authors.forename: Jared
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pisapia
authors.forename: Phillip B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Storm
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Leslie N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Sutton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000379:methods*; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed