Migration of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt catheter into a back incision of a patient with previous spinal fusion.

INTRODUCTION

This case examines a unique, longitudinal presentation of an abandoned, migrating VP shunt which presents as multiple complications, including a weeping abscess in the patients back. We believe that the latter complication was potentially caused by the wound from the patient's previous history of spinal fusion surgery.

CASE PRESENTATION

The patient presents with an associated type 2 Chiari malformation, hydrocephalus, and a previous history of posterior spinal fusion (T4-L5 anterior fusion and T2-L5 posterior fusion) at age 11. The patient had undergone shunt revisions in early adolescence as well. At 22, the patient is admitted into emergency care due to recurrent infections caused by a migrating VP shunt. Due to complications in corrective surgery at the time, the shunt was forced to be abandoned. This resulted in the most recent presentation of a weeping abscess at the patient's spinal fusion surgery wound; the culprit was the abandoned, migrating VP shunt..

MANAGEMENT/OUTCOME: An initial course of broad-spectrum antibiotics was started. However, the abscess continued to recur. Eventually, the catheter was surgically removed, a tailored antibiotic regiment was started, and a 6-month patient follow-up was performed. The patient is no longer symptomatic and off of antibiotics.

DISCUSSION

In abandoned VP shunts, migration into a non-sterile cavity dictates prompt removal, especially after symptoms of infection present. Additionally, careful monitoring for signs of peritonitis or other symptoms for a dedicated period of time is necessary. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first case of an occult shunt migration through the patient's back that presented with a weeping abscess.