Cerebrospinal Fluid Ascitis: Late Complication of A Ventriculo-Peritoneal Bypass

Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ascites is a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt (PVD). The etiological factors and especially the mechanisms underlying this complication remain difficult to explain. We report the case of a voluminous CSF ascites complicating a DVP, 15 years later. This is a 16-year-old patient, valved at the age of one year, admitted for major abdominal distension. The abdominal scanner shows a large free fluid collection in the peritoneal cavity. The puncture of this ascites and above all the conversion of the DVP into a ventriculo-atrial bypass allowed the collection to dry up. The various hypotheses mentioned in the literature struggle to explain the occurrence of ascites in this patient. This ascites seems to stem from a progressive failure of the mechanisms of peritoneal resorption over time and this apart from any primary peritoneal pathology.