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VOLUME 19 , ISSUE 11 ( 2015 ) > List of Articles

CASE REPORT

Severe respiratory failure following ventriculopleural shunt

Shahzad Alam, Nagaraju M. Manjunath

Keywords : Hydrothorax, ventriculoperitoneal shunt, ventriculopleural shunt

Citation Information : Alam S, Manjunath NM. Severe respiratory failure following ventriculopleural shunt. Indian J Crit Care Med 2015; 19 (11):690-692.

DOI: 10.4103/0972-5229.169359

License: CC BY-ND 3.0

Published Online: 01-11-2015

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2015; The Author(s).


Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion procedure has been used for long to treat hydrocephalus in children. The principle of shunting is to establish a communication between the CSF and a drainage cavity (peritoneum, right atrium, and pleura). Ventriculoperitoneal shunt is used most commonly, followed secondly by ventriculopleural shunt (VPLS). Hydrothorax due to excessive CSF accumulation is a rare complication following both the type of shunts and is more frequently seen with VPLS. We report a case of a 6-year-old female child presenting with massive CSF hydrothorax with respiratory failure following VPLS. The aim of the article is to highlight early recognition of this rare and life-threatening condition, which could easily be missed if proper history is not available.

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