Skip to main content

How to Perform a Ventriculopleural Shunt

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery

Abstract

The initial recognition and enthusiasm of effectiveness of ventriculoatrial shunts, after the introduction of Holter Valve in 1952, for treating children with hydrocephalus, waned gradually by the perception of a wide range of severe and even life-threatening complications (Arze et al. 1983; Pascual and Prakash 1993). Later, the introduction of ventriculoperitoneal shunts, demonstrating similar long-term results of the ventriculoatrial shunts, but, with a lower rate of revision, less morbidity of complications, and ease of reviewing, justified adopting the ventriculoperitoneal shunting as the treatment of choice for most of the hydrocephalus (Little et al. 1972). Ventriculopleural and Ventriculogallbladder shunts are exceptional shunt procedures, usually indicated as a third procedure after several failures of ventriculoperitoneal and ventriculoatrial shunts. Other alternatives are try shunting to lesser bursa omentalis, femoral vein, dural venous sinus, bladder, ureter, stomach, or fallopian tube. Because of the specific morbidities of such procedures, there is no universal consensus on what is the best alternative to ventriculoperitoneal shunt.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alam S, Manjunath NM (2015) Severe respiratory failure following ventriculopleural shunt. ASE Report 19:690–692

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arze RS, Rashid H, Morley R, Ward MK, Kerr DNS (1983) Shunt nephritis: report of two cases and review of the literature. Clin Nephrol 19:48–53

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beach C, Manthey DE (1998) Tension hydrothorax due to ventriculopleural shunting. J Emerg Med 16:33–36

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Black LF (1972) The pleural space and pleural fluid. Mayo Clin Proc 47:493–506

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrea R, Audi EL, Girado JM, Cortelezzi C (1958) Pleurostomias em el tratamento de las hidrocefalias. Acta Neurol Latin Am 4:300–317

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrion E, Hertzog JH, Medlock MD, Hauser GJ, Dalton HJ (2001) Acetazolamide to decrease cerebrospinal fluid production in chronically ventilated patients with ventriculopleural shunts. Arch Dis Child 84:68–71

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Di Rocco C, Marchese E, Velardi F (1994) A survey of the first complication of newly implanted CSF shunt devices for the treatment of nontumoral hydrocephalus: cooperative survey of the 1991-1992 education committee of the ISPN. Childs Nerv Syst 10:321–327

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly N, Jayamohan J, Moore AJ (2001) Delayed complication of a ventriculopleural shunt. Br J Neurosurg 15:193–194

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fox BD, Nayar VV, Johnson KK, Jea A, Curry D, Luerssen TG, Whitehead WE (2008) Routine imaging in patients with ventriculopleural shunts: lessons learned from a case of tension hydrothorax. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2:385

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grunberg J, Rébori A, Verocay MC, Ramela V, Alberti R, Cordoba A (2005) Hydrothorax due to ventriculopleural shunting in a child with spina bifida on chronic dialysis: third ventriculostomy as an alternative of cerebrospinal diversion. Int Urol Nephrol 37:571–574

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hadzikaric N, Nasser M, Mashani A, Ammar A (2002) CSF hydrothorax-VP shunt complication without displacement of a peritoneal catheter. Childs Nerv Syst 18:179–182

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heile A (1914) Zur chirugishen behandlung der hydrocephalus internus durch ableitung der cerebrospinalfussigkeit nach der bauchhohle und nach der pleurokuppe. Arch Rlin 105:501–516

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman HJ, Hendrick EB, Humphreys RP (1983) Experience with ventriculo-pleural shunts. Childs Brain 10:404–413

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holcomb G, Smith HP (1995) Laporoscopic and thoracoscopic assistance with csf shunts in children. J Pediatr Surg 30:1642–1643

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iosif G, Fleischman J, Chitkara R (1991) Empyema due to ventriculopleural shunt. Chest 99:1538–1539

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones RF, Currie BG, Kwok BC (1988) Ventriculopleural shunts for hydrocephalus: a useful alternative. Neurosurgery 23:753–755

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler LA, Stern WZ (1962) The ventriculopleural shunt procedure for hydrocephalus: case report of an unusual complication. J Pediatr 60:418–420

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khan TA, Khalil-Marzouk JF (2008) Fibrothorax in adulthood caused by a cerebrospinal fluid shunt in the treatment of hydrocephalus. J Neurosurg 109:478–479

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuperli E, Yilmaz C, Akçay S (2010) Pleural effusion following ventriculo-pleural shunt: case report and review of the literature. Ann Thorac Med 5:166–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurschel S, Eder HG, Schleef J (2003) Ventriculopleural shunt: thoracoscopic placement of the distal catheter. Surg Endosc 17:1850

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little JR, Rhoton AL, Mellinger JF (1972) Comparison of ventriculoperitoneal and ventriculoatrial shunts for hydrocephalus in children. Mayo Clin Proc 47:396–401

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Lage JF, Torres J, Campillo H, Sanchez-del-Rincón I, Bueno F, Zambudio G, Poza M (2000) Ventriculopleural shunting with new technology valves. Childs Nerv Syst 16:867–871

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Megison DP, Benzel EC (1988) Ventriculo-pleural shunting for adult hydrocephalus. Br J Neurosurg 2:503–505

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milhorat TH (1978) Pediatric Neurosurgery. FA Davis, Philadelphia, pp 123–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Munshi I, Lathrop D, Madsen JR, Frim DM (1998) Intraventricular pressure dynamics in patients with ventriculopleural shunts: a telemetric study. Pediatr Neurosurg 28:67–69

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon HH (1968) Ventriculo-pleural drainage with a valve. Dev Med Child Neurol 4:301–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pascual JMS, Prakash UBS (1993) Development of pulmonary hypertension after placement of a ventriculoatrial shunt. Mayo Clin Proc 68:1177–1182

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Piatt JH Jr (1994) How effective are ventriculopleural shunts? Pediatr Neurosurg 21:66–70

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pudenz RH (1981) The surgical treatment of hydrocephalus – an historical review. Surg Neurol 15:15–26

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ransohoff J (1954) Ventriculopleural anastomosis in treatment of midline obstructed masses. J Neurosurg 11:295–301

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ransohoff J, Hiatt R (1952) Ventriculoperitoneal anastomosis in the treatment of hydrocephalus: utilization of the Suprahepatic space: a preliminary report Tr. Am Neurol A 77:147

    Google Scholar 

  • Ransohoff J, Shulman K, Fıshman RA (1960) Hydrocephalus: a review of etiology and treatment. J Pediatr 56:399–411

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ratliff M, Unterberg A, Bächli H (2015) Ventriculo-bipleural shunt as last resort in a 4-year-old child in whom a VP and VA shunt failed. J Neurosurg Pediatr 27:1–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Rehman A, Ahsan S, Zaidi A, Akram M, Sadiq Y, Minhaus P, Hasan Z, Malik A (2007) Ventriculopleural Shunt. Case Report. JRMC 11:45–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson MD, Handler M (2013) Minimally invasive technique for insertion of ventriculopleural shunt catheters. Technical note. J Neurosurg Pediatr 12:501–504

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders DY, Summers R, De Rouen L (1997) Symptomatic pleural collection of cerebrospinal fluid caused by a ventriculopleural shunt. South Med J 90:345–346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Torres Lanzas J, Ríos Zambudio A, Martínez Lage JF, Roca Calvo MJ, Poza M, Parrilla Paricio P (2002) Ventriculopleural shunt to treat hydrocephalus. Arch Bronconeumol 38(11):511–514

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Venes JL (1974) Pleural fluid effusion and eosinophilia following ventriculo pleural shunting. Dev Med Child Neurol 16:72–76

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Venes JL, Shaw RK (1979) Ventriculopleural shunting in the management of hydrocephalus. Childs Brain 5:45–50

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willison CD, Kopitnik TA, Gustafson R, Kaufman HH (1992) Ventriculopleural shunting used as a temporary diversion. Acta Neurochir 115:67–68

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wu TS, Kuroda R (2011) Tension hydrothorax in a pediatric patient with a ventriculopleural shunt. J Emerg Med 40:637–639

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yellin A, Findler G, Barzilay Z, Simansky DA, Lieberman Y (1992) Fibrothorax associated with a ventriculopleural shunt in a hydrocephalic child. J Pediatr Surg 27:1525–1526

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Matsushita .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Matsushita, S. (2017). How to Perform a Ventriculopleural Shunt. In: Di Rocco, C., Pang, D., Rutka, J. (eds) Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_30-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_30-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics