Transoral protrusion of a peritoneal catheter: A rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery is the most used technique for the treatment of hydrocephalus. This procedure is associated with a large amount of complications. Bowel perforation caused by a peritoneal shunt catheter is one of these complications, sometimes fatal, and is usually difficult to recognize, except when protrusion of the peritoneal catheter through a natural orifice occurs. This report presents the case of a 2-year-old boy who had undergone a VP shunt and later presented with protrusion of the peritoneal catheter through his mouth. The shunt device was removed and an external shunt procedure was achieved, using the original ventricular catheter kept in place. The diagnosis of bacterial meningitis was retained and an antibiotic therapy was started. The evolution was fatal in 15 days secondary to a bacterial ventriculitis. Through the reported cases of bowel perforation, many risk factors were individualized, such as age, congenital etiology of the hydrocephalus, silicon allergy or the length of the peritoneal catheter. Bowel perforation is a serious complication of VP shunt surgery, leading sometimes to a fatal outcome. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG.