2021 Volume 41 Issue 3 Pages 129-132
We present a case of laparoscopic appendectomy performed for acute appendicitis in a patient with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt（VPS）and lumboperitoneal shunt（LPS）. An 84-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain of sudden onset and was diagnosed as having gangrenous appendicitis. He had previously undergone VPS and LPS placement for hydrocephalus. The VPS tip was located near the appendix. We performed emergency single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy after consulting with a neurosurgeon. Both shunts were ligated near the tip, to prevent retrograde infection. After resecting the appendix, 8 cm of the shunt was excised, including the ligature. The patient was treated postoperatively with antibiotics until he recovered completely and there was no evidence of shunt infection or hydrocephalus. However, in surgeries involving infections, such as appendicitis, in patients with VPS or LPS, it is imperative to devise an appropriate treatment plan considering the urgency and degree of infection in the abdominal cavity, to prevent retrograde infection.
