• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.693-695
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• 2000

The authors report a rare complication after ventriculoperitoneal shunt(V-P shunt) in 63-year-old man with a hydrocephalus. The patient has had a V-P shunt for eight years. A acute hydrocephalus was detected by brain computed tomography and distal shunt catheter was shown to be fractured in the neck portion by plain radiography. A shunt replacement was performed and the patient improved with regain of consciousness. This was complication of shunt device fracture is reviewed with a review of literature.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.270-273
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• 2000

Ventriculoperitoneal(V-P) shunt has been used as a popular method for surgical treatment of hydrocephalus. But complications such as infection, mechanical obstruction and failure of flow rate sometimes make painful stress to neurosurgeons and patients. Of particular, migration of distal V-P shunt catheter to extraperitoneal space has rarely been reported. Even rarer is intracardiac migration of distal V-P shunt catheter. Authors report a such case and discuss the possible mechanism and preventive method.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.47-49
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• 2007

The authors describe a rare case of tension pneumocephalus, caused by ventriculoperitoneal[V-P] shunting for communicating hydrocephalus. The patient had a history of a right frontal skull fracture and pneumocephalus after a traffic accident five months prior to the present presentation of gait disturbance and memory impairment. A CT scan showed hydrocephalus and a V-P shunt was put in place. On the fourth day after surgery, the mental status of the patient gradually deteriorated due to a tension pneumocephalus; this was treated by repairing a fistula in the frontal sinus and a dural defect. The patient's mental status improved and symptoms were completely recovered. We report a case of tension pneumocephalus following V-P shunt for hydrocephalus in a patient who sustained a right frontal skull fracture.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.51-53
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• 2008

The syndrome of the sinking skin flap was introduced to explain the phenomenon of neurological deterioration after decompressive craniectomy. A 37-year-old man was admitted with acute subdural hematoma and traumatic intraparenchymal hematoma. After decompressive craniectomy, the patient suffered from hydrocephalus for which a ventriculoperitoneal (V-P) shunt was inserted. Following this procedure, the depression of the skin flap became remarkable and his mentation was deteriorated. The patient recovered uneventfully after temporary elevating of valve pressure and cranioplasty. We present a patient who was successfully managed with elevation of valve pressure and cranioplasty for the syndrome of the sinking scalp flap with review of a pertinent literature.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.232-234
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• 2007

We describe the extrusion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter from the anus after double perforation of the large bowel in a 3-year-old girl with hydrocephalus. She was admitted because the tip of the peritoneal catheter protruded 10 cm from the anus and clear cerebrospinal fluid dripped from the tip. Emergency laparotomy was performed. The distal peritoneal catheter perforated and penetrated the sigmoid colon and re-perforated into the rectal cavity. The distal peritoneal catheter was removed, the proximal catheter was exposed for external drainage, and intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered for 2 weeks. After control of infection, the shunt system was completely removed. Bowel perforation by a peritoneal catheter is a rare complication. Diagnosis is often difficult, delayed, and its incidence is likely underestimated. Most bowel perforation is the result of infection as opposed to technical errors.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.325-329
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• 2010

Objective : Traditionally, peritoneal catheter is inserted with midline laparotomy incision in ventriculoperitoneal (V-P) shunt procedures. Complications of V-P shunt is not uncommon and have been reported to occur in 5-37% of cases. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical outcomes and the operation time between laparotomy and laparoscopic groups. Methods : A total of 155 V-P shunt procedures were performed to treat hydrocephalic patients of various origins in our institute between June 2006 to January 2010; 95 of which were laparoscopically guided and 65 were not. We reviewed the operation time, surgery-related complications, and intraoperative and postoperative problems. Results : In the laparoscopy group, the mean duration of the procedure (52 minutes) was significantly shorter (p < 0.001) than the laparotomy group (109 minutes). There were two cases of malfunctions and one incidence of diaphragm injury in the laparotomy group. In contrast, there were neither malfunction nor any internal organ injuries in the laparoscopy group (p = 0.034). There were total of two cases of infections from both groups (p = 0.7). Conclusion : Laparoscopically guided insertions of distal shunt catheter is considered a fast and safe method in contrast to the laparotomy technique. This method allows the exact localization of the peritoneal catheter and a confirmation of its patency.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1308-1313
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• 2001

Object : The goals of radiosurgery include preservation of neurological function and prevention of tumor growth. We document the results of gamma-knife radio-surgery for vestibular schwannoma. Method & Object : Eighty-two patients underwent stereotactic radiosurgery for an vestibular schwannoma from October, 1994 to December, 2000. Sixty-five of these patients were followed up for radiological and clinical evaluation. As pregamma-knife modality, surgical resection were done in 23 patients,and V-P shunt in 2 patients. Initial symptoms were headache(n=45), dizziness(n=16), tinnitus(n=17). While normal facial function(House-Brackmann grade 1) was present in 48 patients(73.8%), other patients showed grade 2 function in 8, grade 3 function in 7,and grade 4 function in 2. The Gardner/Robertson scale was used to code hearing function. Male to female ratio was 1:3. Mean tumor volume was $7.98cm^3$. Mean dose delivered to the tumor margin was 14.2Gy,and mean maximal dose was 28.3Gy. Results : Mean follow-up duration of 19.9 months. Thirty-five showed decrease(53.8%) in size, 19 patients(29.2%) stationary, 3(4.6%) initial decrease follow up increase, 5(7.6%) initial increase follow up decrease,and 59 patients (90.8%) were well controlled. Two patients experienced transient facial neuropathy, one transient trigeminal neuropathy, and one transient hearing deterioration. After gamma-knife radiosurgery, ventriculoperitoneal shunt was done in 4 patients. Conclusions : Gamma-knife radiosurgery can be used to treat postoperative residual tumors as well as in patients with concomitant medical problems in patients with preserved hearing function. Gamma-knife radiosurgery is safe and effective method to treat small, medium sized(less than 3cm in extracanalicular diameter), intracanalicular vestibular schwannoma, associated with low rate of cranial neuropathy.