Unusual complications and mechanism: Migration of the distal catheter into the heart-report of two cases and review of the literature

摘要

The ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is an effective and the most common form of treatment for hydrocephalus. Rare complications such as migration of the distal catheter into the stomach [1], gallbladder [17], urinary bladder [2], liver [20], colon [5], and scrotum [7] have been described. The rarest complication appears to be intracardiac migration of the distal shunt catheter. Only 13 cases have been previously reported [3, 4, 6, 9-15, 18, 19]. We report two additional cases in which a loop of the catheter migrated into the heart via the internal jugular vein (LTV) and its subsequent treatment. Additionally, serial chest X-ray films are provided to show the gradual migration of distal catheter into the heart. Case reports Case 1 A 72-year-old male with a diagnosis of lateral ventricular meningioma was admitted to our hospital. Although the symptoms were relieved after the rumor's removal, 1 month later, the patient suffered deterioration of consciousness. The computed tomography (CT) scan showed progressive enlargement of ventricles. VP shunt operation for hydrocephalus was performed accordingly.