Peritoneal dialysis in a patient with neurogenic bladder and chronic kidney disease with ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Abstract

Long-term dialysis in children with multiple handicaps has become easier with the advent of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (PD). Due to the widespread use of PD and the long survival of patients with spina bifida, an increasing number of patients with spina bifida are on PD. The viability and safety of PD in spina bifida patients with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) have been a matter of concern. Some authors consider the presence of a VPS a relative contraindication for PD, but more recent reports suggest that PD under close monitoring is not contraindicated. We report a 17-year-old girl born with meningomyelocele, hydrocephalus and neurogenic bladder who was maintained on VPS. She reached end-stage renal failure 17 years later and was put on PD based on family and patient preference. She had an uneventful course in the initial 9 months, but later developed fungal peritonitis which was successfully managed with catheter withdrawal and an intravenous antifungal agent (amphotercin 0.75 mg/kg). Simultaneous ventricle-aspirated cerebrospinal fluid was sterile. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fungal infection in such a patient. Although we share the view that PD is not an absolute contraindication in patients with a functioning VPS, its likely complications, especially infectious complications in developing countries, should be kept in mind before initiating PD in such patients.