Ventriculo peritoneal shunted patient undergoing laparoscopic procedure - A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

It has been more than century since the establishment of relationship between the intracranial pressure (ICP) and intraabdominal pressure (IAP) was suspected and confirmed backed up by several studies. The studies clearly demonstrate a link and the positive correlation between the two.

CASE SUMMARY

18 years old lady with previous history of ventricular peritoneal shunt during 6 months of age was planned for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Intraoperatively free flow of CSF was observed without any intraoperative and post-operative complications.

DISCUSSION

Pneumoperitoneum created during laparoscopic procedures may lead to the rise in ICP and thus, lead to serious consequences. This has been of a growing concern in a patient with Ventriculo Peritoneal Shunt (VP Shunt) in situ. The uncertainty regarding the safety of laparoscopic procedures in VP shunted patients thus, has been a subject of debate over the years.

CONCLUSION

Our aim therefore is to depict similar case we encountered in our department and based on it, we reviewed the literature in the quest of determining the safety of Laparoscopic procedure in patients with VP shunt.