[Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunt]

Because of development of laparoscopic surgery and by knowing of its pathophysiological effects on organism, indications for laparoscopic surgery have become more extensive, so this method is today used for therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. Although ventriculoperitoneal shunt is not normally considered a contraindication for laparoscopic surgery, pneumoperitoneum is described as a cause of raised intracranial pressure. Since 1992 when the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy was done at the University Department of Surgery of Sveti Duh Clinical Hospital in Zagreb, three patients with implanted ventriculoperitoneal shunt were managed successfully laparoscopically. In all three patients, there were no complications during and after the surgery. In this paper we present our experience of three cases and short review of the literature.