Ventriculoperitoneal shunt

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Craniotomy for cerebral shunt

Ventricles of the brain

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt - series

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt is a surgery performed to relieve intracranial (inside the skull) pressure caused by hydrocephalus (water on the brain). The fluid is shunted from the ventricles of the brain into the abdominal cavity or in rare instances, into the pleural space in the chest.

Shunt - ventriculoperitoneal; VP shunt

This procedure is performed in the operating room under general anesthesia. A flap is cut in the scalp and a small hole is drilled in the skull. A small catheter is passed into a ventricle of the brain.

A pump (valve which controls flow of fluid) is attached to the catheter to keep the fluid away from the brain. Another catheter is attached to the pump and tunneled under the skin, behind the ear, down the neck and chest and into the peritoneal cavity (abdominal cavity).

In hydrocephalus, the ventricles of the brain become enlarged with cerebrospinal fluid. This condition causes the brain tissue to become compressed against the skull, thus causing serious neurological problems. Shunting is necessary to drain the excess fluid and relieve the pressure in the brain. This should be done as soon as hydrocephalus is recognized to give the child the best possible neurological outlook.

In some cases hydrocephalus is secondary to another disease process affecting the brain. One example is an intracranial hemorrhage where blood gets into the ventricles of the brain and causes the fluid to not drain properly. In cases like this a shunt is necessary to assist in the fluid being removed to alleviate raised intracranial pressure.

Review Date: 06/10/2005
Reviewed By: Joseph P. Hart, MD, Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.