Frontiers in pediatrics
Clinical experience with ventriculovesical shunting as a salvage or bridging strategy in children with hydrocephalus when peritoneal diversion was considered unsuitable: a retrospective case series
By Shen L, Gao Y, Li Y and 2 others.
Abstract
Objective
Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting remains a standard cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion procedure for pediatric hydrocephalus. However, peritoneal diversion may be considered unsuitable in selected children because of abdominal infection, severe peritoneal pathology, refractory CSF ascites, or persistent CSF abnormalities. The objective of this study was to describe our institutional experience with ventriculovesical shunting (VVS) as a selective salvage or bridging CSF diversion strategy in such patients.
Materials and methods
We retrospectively reviewed 36 children with hydrocephalus who underwent VVS at our center between September 2014 and January 2022. The decision to use VVS was individualized according to the clinical circumstances and the treating team's assessment that peritoneal diversion was undesirable or not feasible at that time. Available reasons to avoid peritoneal diversion, postoperative complications and conversion to subsequent VP shunting were reviewed.