Migration of the distal catheter of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt in hydrocephalus patients

Distal catheter migration of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is a rare but serious complication. It is usually asymptomatic. However, it can be further complicated by the presence of co-infections, interruption of the shunt, and/or disturbances in penetrated organ function. In this report, we presented a case of spontaneous complete extrusion of the distal end of a VPS catheter through the intact abdominal wall in a 5-year-old boy with hydrocephalus. We also reviewed and analyzed the literature for similar cases of complete extrusion of the distal end of a VPS catheter, through an intact or a potential weakness in the body wall, in the last 20 years. From the reviewed literature, we did not observe any difference (p>0.05) in the incidence of this complication between cases with an intact or a potential weakness in the body wall.