[Intracardiac migration of a ventriculoatrial shunt catheter treated by endovascular transvenous retrieval].

Abstract

The authors report a case of intracardiac migration of a ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt catheter and transvenous retrieval of the migrated shunt catheter. A 67-year-old male, who had previously undergone a VA shunt for hydrocephalus after subarachnoid hemorrhage, presented disorientation, memory disturbance and gait disturbance without any cardiopulmonary symptom. Head CT scan revealed ventriculomegaly that indicated hydrocephalus due to shunt malfunction. Radiogram revealed that the caudal segment of the broken atrial catheter had migrated into the heart (right ventricle). The migrated shunt catheter was retrieved by a transfemoral approach with a pigtail catheter and a snare retriever catheter, although the rostral catheter segment partially remained because of tight adhesion. The VA shunt was then reconstructed. Postoperatively, symptoms due to recurrent hydrocephalus were markedly improved and the VA shunt functioned well. Transvenous catheter retrieval was a less invasive and effective method for VA shunt catheter migration.