Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Neuronavigation and Laparoscopy Guided Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Insertion for the Treatment of Hydrocephalus
Published on: October 14, 2022
A case of infertility in a patient with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt
J Bradley White1, Corey Raffel, Richard Edgar Blackwell
1Department of Neurosurgery, The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. White.Brad@mayo.edu
Objective And Importance:
Complications arising from the placement of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts are well documented. A case of infertility is presented that was thought to result from factors related to the distal end of a VP shunt residing within a patient's abdomen.
Clinical Presentation:
A 30-year-old female with a 3-year history of infertility was referred for fallopian tube blockage. An exploratory laparoscopy revealed multiple adhesions adjoining the distal end of her fallopian tubes. The distal portion of a VP shunt placed at childhood (with subsequent revisions) was found entangled among grossly inflamed and densely adhesive pelvic viscera.
Intervention:
Laparoscopic adhesiolysis was performed and the patient's fallopian tubes were reconstituted. The distal portion of the VP shunt was freed from the surrounding viscera and was not revised.
Conclusion:
VP shunts may produce adhesive disease and complicate fertility via mechanical, chemical, and/or infectious processes.
