TITLE:
Gigantic Abdominal Pseudocyst: An Unusual Evolution of the Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
AUTHORS:
Alícia de Oliveira Mendes, Fernanda Aquino Freres Silva, Luiza Kohmann Salvoni, Willy Marcus França
KEYWORDS:
Abdominal Cerebrospinal Fluid Pseudocysts, Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery,
Vol.11 No.4,
October
15,
2021
ABSTRACT: Background: The ventriculoperitoneal (VPS) shunt is the most common procedure in the
treatment of hydrocephalus in children. Abdominal cerebrospinal fluid
pseudocysts are a rare complication of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt with an
incidence ranging from less than 1% to 10% and are more prevalent in children.
The malfunction of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt can cause headaches, nausea,
vomiting, altered level of consciousness and abdominal pain due to the
accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid. There is no consensus on which type of
treatment is better in this case, but there are several available methods. Aim: To report an unusual case of a giant abdominal cerebrospinal fluid
pseudocyst as a complication of the VPS. Case Presentation: Female 1 y/3 months old patient, less than 7 kg, that has been
diagnosed with hydrocephalus prenatally, confirmed postnatally associated with
an esophageal atresia and distal tracheoesophageal fistula (AE/FTE, Gross III),
was admitted to our service with progressive abdominal distention without
obstructive intestinal signs or peritoneal inflammatory signs. The CT scan of
the abdomen showed a large liquid collection (estimated volume of 600 ml),
centered on the umbilical region, diagnosed as a giant abdominal cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF) pseudocyst from the VPS. All of data and information were obtained
from her medical records at the infirmary of the Conjunto Hospitalar de
Sorocaba (CHS), São Paulo. Conclusion: Abdominal CSF as a cause of these giant pseudocysts should
be considered as a diagnostic hypothesis for cases of large abdominal
distensions without intestinal involvement in patients with a VPS. This
research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the
public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.