Peroral extrusion of the peritoneal catheter in an infant.

Peroral extrusion of the distal end of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt tube is the potentially hazardous end result of a bowel perforation with only few case reports in the literature. The distal end of the peritoneal catheter got fractured in a 4-year-old child and it protruded out through the mouth. The cranial incision was opened and the shunt divided below the chamber. The ventricular end and the chamber and distal end were removed through this incision. In the present successfully managed case we review the current strategies in the management of such a rare complication and discuss the possible pathogenesis of this entity.