Interval Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Complicated Appendicitis in a Patient with a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt: A Case Report

Abstract

A 57-year-old woman with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter (VPSC) that had been placed for hydrocephalus following a cerebral hemorrhage was admitted to our hospital with right lower abdominal pain and high fever. Abdominal computed tomography revealed localized peritonitis secondary to complicated appendicitis. Given the risk of infection spreading to the VPSC intraoperatively, we planned an interval appendectomy. The patient’s symptoms improved with conservative management over 3 weeks. Interval laparoscopic appendectomy was successfully performed 2 months later. We report a case of interval surgery for acute appendicitis in a patient with a VPSC.