Impact of previous abdominal surgery on shunt revision in pediatric ventriculoperitoneal shunt cases at a single center

BACKGROUND The main problems encountered during postoperative follow-up after ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgeries are ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction and related complications. One of the reasons for malfunction is problems with the distal catheter. This study aimed to analyze pediatric cases and establish whether there is a link between a history of abdominal surgery and the need for shunt revision. METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of 138 pediatric patients who underwent surgery at our institution between 2010 and 2018. RESULTS In the first year postoperatively, 33.2% of the patients required shunt revision. Furthermore, we found a significant relationship between a history of abdominal surgery and the requirement for shunt revision (p < 0.0001). Additionally, the length of the proximal catheter inside the ventricles appeared to affect the need for shunt revision (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Similar to other studies, we believe that our findings show that a history of abdominal surgery impacts the need for shunt revision. This contributes to existing literature on the topic.