Complicarions of Ventricle-Peritoneal Shunt in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Introduction. Hydrocephalus is a condition characterized by excess cerebrospinal fluid and presents ventricle-peritoneal shunt (VPS) as one of the main definitive therapeutic approaches. Objective.  This study analyzed 102 patients submitted to ventricle-peritoneal bypass surgery for hydrocephalus correction in a Tertiary Pediatric Hospital of Curitiba-PR, with the objective of identifying the main complications of this procedure. Method. This is a descriptive, retrospective, and quantitative study that analyzed medical records in order to record the variables contained in the research instrument created by the researchers. Results. The most frequent etiologies of hydrocephalus were central nervous system neoplasia, followed by prematurity and myelomeningocele. Most patients presented complications after VPS placement (63%), and among the main ones we can mention valvular dysfunction, infection, and hyponatremia, which are in accordance with the data in the literature. The mean length of hospital stays of approximately 1 month after the first VPS corresponds to the information revealed in the bibliography used. Although most children with some complication need valve system replacement (54%) in the present study (a higher rate than that found in the other studies), the death rate was lower than that recorded in other publications. Conclusion. It is concluded that although ventricle-peritoneal shunt is, in most cases, the main choice of hydrocephalus treatment, it is still accompanied by high rates of complications.