Ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction
see also Cerebrospinal fluid shunt malfunction.
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction is a ventriculoperitoneal shunt complication.
Cerebrospinal fluid shunt by way of ventriculoperitoneal shunt (or another terminus) is a commonly performed neurosurgical procedure but one that is fraught with high rates of failure. Up to one-third of adult patients undergoing CSF shunting will experience a shunt malfunction 1).
Etiology
see also Cerebrospinal fluid shunt malfunction classification
Shunt malfunction may be attributed to multiple causes, including shunt obstruction, shunt infection, pseudocyst formation and bowel perforation. VPS obstruction, which is most often occurs in the proximal catheter, is the most common cause of VPS malfunction. Hardware infection is the second most common cause of VPS malfunction, and this is a complication is most often observed in infants, with premature infants being the most susceptible. Despite continuous attempts to reduce the incidence of VPS complications, such as improved sterile techniques, antibiotic impregnated catheters, and programmable valves, VPS malfunction remains a major problem, which often leads to multiple and costly hospital admissions 2))
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt disconnection and fracture of the distal catheter remain a common cause of ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction.