Can A Brain Shunt Be Repositioned With Laprascopy To Avoid Pain And Irritating Sensation?

Brief Answer: No cause of concern Detailed Answer: Dear Ms XXXXXXX If I'm not wrong I hope you meant ventriculo-peritoneal shunt for draining csf. The shunt is usually tunneled in the subcutaneous plane immediately below the skin, the upper end is in the ventricle of the brain and the lower end either is placed in peritoneal cavity or subarachnoid space of spinal cord. It's unlikely to affect any major nerves, even the cutaneous nerves are unaffected. It may cause foreign body sensation and irritation initially but it usually subside in 2 to 6 months. There is fibrin deposition on the outer surface of tubing in the subcutaneous tunnel, which gets incorporated in the surrounding structure and the foreign body sensation goes off. Kink or any bend in tube can be diagnosed by getting shunt series X-ray of whole path of the shunt. Even if there is a little kink no intervention required as long as the shunt is functioning well and serving it's purpose. Rest be assured nothing is seriously wrong with you. For few days pain killers/analgesics may be used for relief of pain. It's not advisable to reposition or replace a normally functioning shunt in the absence of sign or symptoms of shunt infection. The morbidity associated with replacement or repositioning out weigh any benefits associated with it. I hope I have clarified your doubt. Do get back to me if you have any other query. Be assured everything is fine and no cause for any concern. Take care Regards Dr T Shobha Deepak MBBS MD

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