Abstract
The placement of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is the most common form of treatment for hydrocephalus. Although allergic reactions to the silicone in shunt hardware are very rare, the authors describe a case of silicone allergy causing multiple ventricular shunt revisions. A 24-year-old man, who had undergone multiple VP shunt revisions, presented with shunt malfunction caused by allergic reaction of the tissues surrounding the shunt tubing. The patient's existing silicone-based shunt was replaced with a new polyurethane system, including the proximal and distal catheters as well as the valve mechanism. Contrary to recommendations in previous studies of silicone shunt allergies, long-term immunosuppression was not initiated. The patient was followed up for more than 8 years without recurrence of an allergic reaction to the shunt. This outcome indicates that replacing the original silicone-based shunt system with a polyurethane-based system alone is sufficient in the treatment of a silicone shunt allergy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 536-539 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of neurosurgery |
Volume | 102 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2005 |
Keywords
- Bowel perforation
- Hydrocephalus
- Shunt malfunction
- Shunt obstruction
- Silicone allergy
- Ventriculoperitoneal shunt
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Clinical Neurology