Pulmonary hypertension after ventriculoatrial shunt implantation

Incidence and nature of complications associated with ventriculoatrial shunt placement: A systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Ventriculoatrial shunt (VAS) is considered the second option for treating hydrocephalus, but there remains a lack of robust evidence regarding its complications profile.

PURPOSE

Evaluate the complications associated with VAS.

METHODS

Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, the authors searched Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases to identify articles reporting on the complications of VAS. Eligible articles were required to report whether complications occurred in a cohort of at least four patients. The extraction process focused on various outcome measures, including overall complications, pulmonary complications, cardiac complications, mortality, shunt revisions, glomerulonephritis, intracranial hemorrhage, and hygroma. Complications were defined as any adverse events related to the procedure, including revisions.

RESULTS

After retrieving a total of 2828 articles, 53 studies met the predefined criteria, involving 2862 patients. The overall complication rate was estimated at 33 % (95 % CI: 25-42 %), while the long-term complications rate was found to be 49 % (95 % CI: 32-67 %). Among the pediatric population, the complication rate was calculated to be 53 % (95 % CI: 39-68 %). The overall revision rate was estimated at 32 % (95 % CI: 23-41 %), with an infection rate of 5 % (95 % CI: 3-7 %). Notably, in the pediatric group, the infection rate was 10 % (95 % CI: 6-13 %). The random analysis indicated an estimated risk of 0 % for glomerulonephritis, intracranial hemorrhage, hygroma, cardiac complications, pulmonary complications, and shunt-related mortality.

CONCLUSION

VAS is a safe alternative when ventriculoperitoneal shunting is not feasible. Risk of classic severe complications is minimal. Nevertheless, caution is required when shunting critical patients. Further randomized studies are warranted to establish the ideal shunt for different patients.

Chest X-ray Interpretation: Detecting Devices and Device-Related Complications

This short review has the aim of helping the radiologist to identify medical devices when interpreting a chest X-ray, as well as looking for their most commonly detectable complications. Nowadays, many different medical devices are used, often together, especially in critical patients. It is important for the radiologist to know what to look for and to remember the technical factors that need to be considered when checking each device's positioning.

Effective Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty in a Patient with Chronic Thromboembolic Complications after Ventriculoatrial Shunt for Hydrocephalus in von Hippel–Lindau Disease

Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease along with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a unique and unusual severe complication of ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt implantation in the treatment of hydrocephalus. To the best of our knowledge, this can be the first reported case of an effective treatment with balloon pulmonary angioplasty in a patient with VHL after VA shunt placement. The patient underwent six balloon pulmonary angioplasty procedures. All invasive procedures resulted in haemodynamic and functional improvement.

Should not we be using aspirin in patients with a ventriculoatrial shunt? Borrowing a leaf from other specialities: a case for surrogate evidence

INTRODUCTION

Ventriculoatrial (VA) shunts are life-saving in circumstances where ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VP) have failed. They are at risk for different complications, and more specific of them are cardiopulmonary complications. Currently, there are no standard recommendations concerning screening for risk factors, prophylaxis, or anticoagulation treatment in patients after VA shunt placement. Our study aims to prospectively study the possible role and efficacy of the use of aspirin to increase the survival of shunts in children with VA shunt and avoid secondary morbidity. In this article, the authors describe the interim results of an ongoing prospective study which supports the use of aspirin for VA shunt.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study design is prospective. The duration of the study is 2011 onwards and is ongoing. Hospital ethics board clearance and consent from the family were taken before inclusion in the study. All patients who had VA shunt were given a once-a-day low-antiplatelet dose of aspirin 5 mg/kg, from the first postoperative day onwards. Primary endpoints of the study are as follows: (1) major distal end malfunction documented on echocardiography or (2) any cardiac complications associated with the VA shunt catheter.

RESULTS

We have 6 patient since march 2011, who are being followed up. None of the shunts had malfunctioned until the reporting. None of the patients had any cardiac issues reported. The patients are to be followed continually. The present follow-up ranges from 2.5 to 10 years. The patient follow-up is being continued.

CONCLUSIONS

Aspirin is a drug with well-accepted safety profile, and its use and our preliminary observation and outcome of the use of aspirin in VA shunt are promising.

Minimally invasive procedure for removal of infected ventriculoatrial shunts

BACKGROUND

Ventriculoatrial shunts were one of the most common treatments of hydrocephalus in pediatric and adult patients up to about 40 years ago. Thereafter, due to the widespread recognition of the severe cardiac and renal complications associated with ventriculoatrial shunts, they are almost exclusively implanted when other techniques fail. However, late infection or atrial thrombi of previously implanted shunts require removal of the atrial catheter several decades after implantation. Techniques derived from management of central venous access catheters can avoid cardiothoracic surgery in such instances.

METHODS

We retrospectively investigated all the patients requiring removal of a VA shunt for complications treated in the last 5 years in our institution.

RESULTS

We identified two patients that were implanted 28 and 40 years earlier. Both developed endocarditis with a large atrial thrombus and were successfully treated endovascularly. The successful percutaneous removal was achieved by applying, for the first time in this setting, the endoluminal dilation technique as proposed by Hong. After ventriculoatrial shunt removal and its substitution with an external drainage, both patients where successfully weaned from the need for a shunt and their infection resolved.

CONCLUSION

Patients carrying a ventriculoatrial shunt are now rarely seen and awareness of long-term ventriculoatrial shunt complications is decreasing. However, these complications must be recognized and treated by shunt removal. Endovascular techniques are appropriate even in the presence of overt endocarditis, atrial thrombi, and tight adherence to the endocardial wall. Moreover, weaning from shunt dependence is possible even decades after shunting.

Guidelines for Management of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (Third Edition): Endorsed by the Japanese Society of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Among the various disorders that manifest with gait disturbance, cognitive impairment, and urinary incontinence in the elderly population, idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is becoming of great importance. The first edition of these guidelines for management of iNPH was published in 2004, and the second edition in 2012, to provide a series of timely, evidence-based recommendations related to iNPH. Since the last edition, clinical awareness of iNPH has risen dramatically, and clinical and basic research efforts on iNPH have increased significantly. This third edition of the guidelines was made to share these ideas with the international community and to promote international research on iNPH. The revision of the guidelines was undertaken by a multidisciplinary expert working group of the Japanese Society of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus in conjunction with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare research project. This revision proposes a new classification for NPH. The category of iNPH is clearly distinguished from NPH with congenital/developmental and acquired etiologies. Additionally, the essential role of disproportionately enlarged subarachnoid-space hydrocephalus (DESH) in the imaging diagnosis and decision for further management of iNPH is discussed in this edition. We created an algorithm for diagnosis and decision for shunt management. Diagnosis by biomarkers that distinguish prognosis has been also initiated. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment of iNPH have entered a new phase. We hope that this third edition of the guidelines will help patients, their families, and healthcare professionals involved in treating iNPH.

Transesophageal Echocardiography-Guided Ventriculoatrial Shunt Insertion

BACKGROUND

Determining an optimal location within the right atrium (RA) for placement of the distal ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt catheter offer several operative challenges that place patients at risk for perioperative complications and downstream VA shunt failure. Utilizing transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance to place distal VA shunt catheters may help to circumvent these risks.

OBJECTIVE

To review our current practice of VA shunt insertion using TEE guidance.

METHODS

A retrospective review of all consecutive patients who underwent VA shunt procedures between December 19, 2016 and January 22, 2019, during which time intraoperative TEE was used for shunt placement was performed. Data on the time required for shunt placement and total procedure time, baseline echocardiography findings, and short- and long-term complications of shunt placement were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 33 patients underwent VA shunt procedures, with a median follow-up time of 250 (88-412) d. The only immediate complication related to shunt placement or TEE use was transient ectopy in 1 patient. The mean time for atrial catheter insertion was 12.6 ± 4.8 min. Right-heart catheters were inserted between the RA-superior vena cava junction and 22 mm within the RA in all but 3 procedures. A total of 7/33 patients (21%) underwent shunt revision. Indications for revisions included distal clots, proximal obstruction, positive blood culture, and shunt valve revision. No other complications of VA shunt insertion were reported.

CONCLUSION

VA shunt insertion using TEE allows for precise distal catheter placement. Early patient experience confirms this technique has a low complication rate.

A new dynamic model for in vitro evaluation of intravascular devices

INTRODUCTION:

A dynamic model to evaluate thrombus formation on intravascular catheters in vitro is presented. The model enables fluid infusion, variation in the catheter orientation, and variable flow conditions. It was applied on a catheter used to shunt cerebrospinal fluid to a vein, a dural venous sinus, for the treatment of hydrocephalus.

METHODS:

Fresh human blood-filled circuits were circulated in a non-occlusive roller pump. A catheter infused either with cerebrospinal fluid, Ringer's lactate, or no fluid (control) was inserted through each circuit's wall. Sixteen circuits (six cerebrospinal fluid, six Ringer's lactate, four control) ran for 60 min. Qualitative assessment was performed by measuring viscoelastic properties of blood at the start and end of the experiment; quantitative evaluation of clot formation by scanning electron microscope.

RESULTS:

Average blood velocity was 79 mm/s, with a pressure wave between 5 and 15 mm Hg. At the experiment's end, the infused fluid represented 5.88% of the blood/infusion volume in the circuit. The control circuits showed no statistical difference between the start and end for viscoelastic testing, whereas both Ringer's lactate and cerebrospinal fluid enhanced coagulation, most pronounced for the latter. Most thrombus material was observed on catheters in the cerebrospinal fluid group. Clot formation was less pronounced on the surface of the catheter facing the blood flow.

DISCUSSION:

A dynamic model for intravascular catheter testing mimics better clinical conditions when evaluating blood-material interaction. Catheter position, blood flow around the catheter, and infusion fluid all have a potential impact on the hemocompatibility of a given catheter.

Ventriculoportal Shunt, a New Transomphalic Extraperitoneal Surgical Technique in Treatment of Hydrocephalus

AIM

The aim of this article was to report a new transomphalic extraperitoneal surgical technique for treatment of hydrocephalus, called ventriculoportal shunt.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed ventriculoportal shunt on an experimental animal (pig). The particularity of ventriculoportal shunt consists in the fact that the distal end of the catheter is inserted transomphalic extraperitoneally in the portal system through reopened umbilical vein. We present technical details regarding this new surgical technique.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The animal had favorable outcome, without any postoperative early or late morbidity. We discuss indications, contraindications, possible complications in humans and advantages of ventriculoportal shunt compared with ventriculocardiac and ventriculoperitoneal drainages and possibilities to avoid complications specific to classic shunt procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Ventriculoportal shunt is a new surgical technique for treatment of hydrocephalus. The distal end of the catheter introduced into reopened umbilical vein, drains cerebrospinal fluid into the portal system. Ventriculoportal shunt is safe and easy to perform. With ventriculoportal shunt specific complications of ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculocardiac drainages can be potentially avoided. Ventriculoportal shunt combines advantages of vascular shunt with those of having an immunological barrier for cerebrospinal fluid before entering the systemic circulation. Theoretically, indications for surgery are extended, and ventriculoportal shunt can be performed in patients former contraindicated for ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Further research is needed and this surgical technique must be performed on human subjects with hydrocephalus.

Pleural effusion in a child with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and congenital heart disease

We present the unique case of an 8 month old infant who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after neonatal repair of tetralogy of Fallot. While on ECMO, he developed grade 3 intraventricular hemorrhage resulting in hydrocephalus requiring ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement at 5 months of life. He presented to cardiology clinic with a 2-month history of poor weight gain, tachypnea, and grunting and was found to have a large right sided pleural effusion. This was proven to be cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation secondary to poor peritoneal absorption with subsequent extravasation of CSF into the thoracic cavity via a diaphragmatic defect. After diaphragm repair, worsening ascites from peritoneal malabsorption led to shunt externalization and ultimate conversion to a ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt. This is the second reported case of VA shunt placement in a child with congenital heart disease and highlights the need to consider CSF extravasation as the cause of pleural effusions in children with VP shunts.

Robert H. Pudenz (1911-1998) and Ventriculoatrial Shunt: Historical Perspective

Robert H. Pudenz was a renowned neurosurgeon in North America in the 20th century, famous for his contributions in the evolution of the shunt valve and ventriculoatrial shunt surgery. With his innovative idea and help from Heyer, in 1955, he demonstrated that a venous catheter worked best when in the right atrium and that the slit valve should be located at the most distal portion of the shunt system to prevent retrograde filling and thrombosis. He also contributed to various experimental studies on the brain, especially the electrical response of different neural structures. This historical vignette focuses on the work of Robert Pudenz and the evolution of the ventriculoatrial shunt.

Outcomes and Experience with Lumbopleural Shunts in the Management of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To report five patients who underwent lumbopleural (LPl) shunting for the treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and to describe the considerations, complications, and outcomes related to this rarely described procedure.

METHODS

The clinical data of five patients treated with LPl shunting over a 23-year period were retrospectively analyzed. Factors including the age at diagnosis of IIH, age at time of LPl shunting, body mass index (BMI), reason for LPl shunt placement, number of revisions before LPl shunt placement, valve type, time to first revision, presence of overdrainage and its management, complications and their management, survival time of LPl shunt, and clinical course at last follow-up were analyzed.

RESULTS

All patients were morbidly obese females with an average of 4.6 shunt revisions before an LPl shunt. The average overall survival time of the LPl shunt was 48 months. Two patients experienced failure of their LPl shunts with subsequent replacement within the first year. Four patients experienced complications related to shunt overdrainage, requiring placement of an antisiphon device (ASD) or additional valve. One patient developed a symptomatic pleural effusion, and one patient developed a small pneumothorax, which was managed conservatively.

CONCLUSIONS

LPl shunting, though rarely used, is a viable option in the treatment of IIH refractory to standard peritoneal shunting. When pursuing this treatment, a valve and ASD are recommended to mitigate the risks of overdrainage and pleural effusion. Chest imaging should be obtained if the patient becomes symptomatic but can be deferred if the patient remains asymptomatic and is doing well.

Should ventriculoatrial shunting be the procedure of choice for normal-pressure hydrocephalus?

Object

Ventriculoatrial (VA) shunting is rarely used for patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), likely due to surgeon technical preference and case reports indicating cardiopulmonary complications. However, these complications have typically been limited to adults in whom VA shunts had been placed when they were children. Few studies have directly compared VA shunting to ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting in cases of NPH.

Methods

The authors retrospectively analyzed all NPH patients treated by a single surgeon at their center from January 2002 through December 2011. Thirty patients were treated with VA shunts (14 male) and 157 with VP shunts (86 male). The patients' mean age (± SD) at surgery was 73.7 ± 9.4 years for VA shunting and 76.0 ± 8.2 years for VP shunting; the median durations of follow-up were 42.0 months (IQR 19.2–63.6 months) and 34.2 months (IQR 15.8–67.5), respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

Results

Perioperative and postoperative complications for VA and VP shunting cohorts, respectively, included distal revision (2.7% vs 6.6%, p = 0.45), proximal revision (2.7% vs 2.5%, p = 0.97), and postoperative seizure (2.7% vs 1.5%, p = 0.62). Shunt drainage–related subdural hematomas/hygromas developed in 8.1%/27.0% of VA shunt–treated patients versus 6.6%/26.4% of VP shunt–treated patients (p = 0.76/0.98) and were nearly always successfully managed with programmable-valve adjustment. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (1.5%) and shunt infection (2.0%) were only observed in those who underwent VP shunting. Of note, no cardiovascular complications were observed in any patient, and there were no cases of distal occlusion of the VA shunt.

Conclusions

The authors found no significant differences in complication rates between VA and VP shunting, and VA shunting was not associated with any cardiopulmonary complications. Thus, in the authors' experience, VA shunting is at least as safe as VP shunting for treating NPH.

Ventriculocisternostomy versus ventriculoperitoneal shunt in the treatment of hydrocephalus: a retrospective, long-term observational study

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was the retrospective analysis of long-term data on endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy versus ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement in the treatment of hydrocephalus.

METHODS

A total of 159 patients were included in the study. One hundred and twenty-three patients received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, whereas 36 patients were treated with an endoscopic procedure. Only patients with a postoperative observation period of at least 3 years were included in the analyses of the long-term data. In addition to general patient and operation data, the number and frequency of perioperative complications (infections, dysfunctions) and the frequency and type of necessary revision operations were collected.

RESULTS

The average observation period was 69 months for both groups. The risk of operative revision was significantly elevated in the shunt group despite a comparable observation period. Whereas 86.11% of the endoscopy group did not require an operative revision, that only applied to 68.85% of the shunt group. The complication rate was 42.7% in the shunt group per procedure, which was clearly higher than in the endoscopy group at only 9.4%.

CONCLUSION

The risk of operative revision and/or complications is significantly lower in the endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy group compared to the ventriculoperitoneal shunt group. Given the appropriate indication, endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy is thus the treatment of choice.

Imaging evaluation of CSF shunts

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this article is to describe an approach to imaging CSF shunts. Topics reviewed include the components and imaging appearances of the most common types of shunts and the utility of different imaging modalities for the evaluation of shunt failure. Complications discussed include mechanical failure, infection, ventricular loculation, overdrainage, and unique complications related to each shunt type.

CONCLUSION

This article reviews the imaging features of common CSF shunts and related complications with which radiologists should be familiar.

Minimally invasive technique for insertion of ventriculopleural shunt catheters

OBJECT

Cerebrospinal fluid diversion to the pleural space has employed various methods to insert the distal catheter into the pleural space. The authors report on a minimally invasive method of pleural catheter insertion that they have developed and have used safely in a small series of patients.

METHODS

Pleural shunt catheters were inserted using a split trochar into the pleural space (technique described in further detail in the article). All cases over the previous 10 years in which this technique was employed were reviewed from the existing electronic medical records. Patient age at insertion, sex, reason for hydrocephalus, early and late complications, valve type, and follow-up were recorded.

RESULTS

Fourteen shunt procedures performed in 10 patients were identified. Two small pneumothoraces were detected on routine postoperative imaging and required no intervention. There were 3 late mechanical complications, including migration of a catheter out of the pleural space, catheter fracture at the insertion point, and the need for a longer catheter due to the patient's growth.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors describe a safe, minimally invasive method for insertion of pleural shunt catheters along with a series of patients who have undergone placement of a pleural shunt catheter using this method without complication directly attributable to the use of this technique.