Immediate postoperative CT to assess the correct positioning of a ventricular catheter

Abstract

Positioning of the ventricular catheter is safe using standard techniques, but in some cases there may be failure of a shunt because of incorrect placement. We carried out CT at the end of the surgical operation on 10 patients who had undergone cerebrospinal fluid shunting while still anaesthetized. In three cases a malpositioned catheter was detected. Immediate reoperation allowed readjustment of the ventricular catheter. Early postoperative CT appears to be useful for verifying correct placement.