Abstract
This paper deals with two cases of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VPS) or a lumbo-peritoneal shunt (LPS) for the treatment of hydrocephalus. In patients with VPS or LPS, shunt infection and dysfunction are known perioperative complications that can occur after abdominal surgery. To avoid these complications, conversion from a VPS or LPS to a ventriculo-atrial shunt (VAS) was performed before gastrointestinal surgery. Case 1 was a 78-year-old transverse colon cancer patient with LPS for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, and case 2 was a 93-year-old gastric cancer patient with VPS for secondary hydrocephalus. Their postoperative course was uneventful and no complications were observed. To the best of our knowledge, conversion from VPS or LPS to VAS before gastrointestinal surgery for adult malignant tumor has not been reported previously. This useful management option should be considered for patients with VPS or LPS who require gastrointestinal surgery.
