Vp Shunt Evaluation
Radiologists should be familiar with these potential problems and the diagnostic utility of various imaging modalities.
Vp shunt evaluation. If you are in the community without a neurosurgeon and the patient is coning i would tap the shunt either way tap the shunt. Needed to evaluate ventricular size if larger concerning for elevated icp very helpful to compare to previous study many patients with shunts have abnormal baseline one third of patients with shunt malfunction will have normal head ct citation needed ultrasound. The shunt series is a set of radiographic images performed to assess the location and integrity of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt.
At presentation of suspected shunt malfunction a standard shunt function evaluation using shunt tap ct scan or shunt injection was performed and subsequently the pressure from the tap of the reservoir was obtained. Slow refill more than 3 5 seconds indicates proximal obstruction. Imaging analysis is an essential adjunct to the clinical evaluation of patients with suspected vp shunt malfunctions or complications.
Indications departmental protocols will vary but the overall goal is to image the shunt in its entirety to assess. Patient presen tation varies depending on patient age as well as the cause and acuity of failure 6. As the name suggests a catheter is placed with its tip in the ventricle.
Palpate to identify the vp shunt and the reservoir chamber. A ventriculoperitoneal vp shunt is a medical device that relieves pressure on the brain caused by fluid accumulation. Patient presentation varies depending on patient age as well as the cause and acuity of failure.
Vp shunting is a surgical procedure that primarily treats a condition called. Identifies kinking migration or disconnection. Ventriculoperitoneal vp shunts are a device used to shunt cerebrospinal fluid in the treatment of hydrocephalus.
Difficulty compressing indicates distal obstruction. This test is not perfect. Failure rates with ventriculoatrial and ventriculopleural shunts are slightly higher 15.