Calcification of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt tube. Case report

A 16-year-old boy who had undergone a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt because of hydrocephalus at 8 years of age complained of pain around the right neck and chest. He concomitantly had a slight fever of unknown etiology, which had been lasting for several years. Skull and chest roentgenograms revealed an unusual calcified shadow around the shunt tube. After removal of the shunt apparatus, his pain and fever disappeared. Silicone tubes used in a VP shunt apparatus may induce fibrous connective tissue proliferation around the tubes in both children and adults, but no reports of radiologically verified calcification of a VP shunt tube are found in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. The possible mechanism of calcification of the VP shunt tube is discussed.