EXTRUSION OF PERITONEAL CATHETER THROUGH NECK INCISION: A RARE COMPLICATION OF VENTRICULOPERITONEAL SHUNTING

Extrusion of the peritoneal catheter through the neck incision is reported in a man who, 14 months previously, had a ventriculoperitoneal shunt inserted for obstructive hydrocephalus. Exteriorization of CSF shunt chambers and tubing is an unusual complication of shunting, with extrusion through healed surgical incisions being rare. The authors review the causative factors, and consider aspects of surgical technique that may obviate this complication.