Unusual proximal migration of ventriculoperitoneal shunt into the heart

Childs Nerv Syst. 1996 Mar;12(3):176-9. doi: 10.1007/BF00266827.

Abstract

Quite a number of cases of upward shunt migration have already been reported in the literature. In this paper, the intracardiac migration of a peritoneal shunt tube of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt system is reported. This is a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunting and was diagnosed by a plain radiograph of the chest and a direct open heart surgery. To the author's knowledge this is the first reported case of migration of a peritoneal shunt tube into the heart. The authors postulate possible mechanisms and a physioanatomical explanation on the basis of the surgical findings.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Failure*
  • Foreign-Body Migration / diagnosis*
  • Foreign-Body Migration / physiopathology*
  • Heart / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt*