Abdominal Complications of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in Pediatric Patients: Experiences of a Pediatric Surgery Clinic

Abstract

Objective: To relate the experiences of a pediatric surgery clinic in diagnosis and treatment of abdominal complications related to ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPSs) in pediatric patients who had VPSs implanted to treat hydrocephalus. METHODS: Patients admitted to the Pediatric Surgery Department of Van Yuzunciyil University Faculty of Medicine between April 2013 and December 2017 who had VPSs implanted and subsequently developed abdominal complications were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic information, surgery dates, time intervals between surgery and development of abdominal complication, complication types and applied treatments, and follow-up durations were recorded. RESULTS: There were 16 patients (6 girls, 10 boys) with a mean age of 3 years (range, 1 month to 8 years) reviewed. Complications following VPS implantation included abdominal pseudocyst, anal protrusion, volvulus, peritonitis, abdominal distention, and herniation. Complications were treated successfully with contemporary surgical methods. No issues during long-term postoperative follow-up were identified. CONCLUSIONS: VPS implantation can result in abdominal complications with a wide range of clinical presentations. Predicting which abdominal complications might occur in children with VPSs can be lifesaving with early diagnosis and treatment.