Port-a-cath and ventriculoatrial shunt at the same atrium: technical note

Abstract

Hydrocephalus is a rare complication of brain involving acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The standard treatment is ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting, while ventriculoatrial (VA) shunting is the second option in a case of VP shunt failure in young children. But the presence of port catheter at the right atrium restricts and makes a VA shunt difficult to place in the same atrium. We presented a 4-year-old boy who had the diagnoses of ALL and underwent chemotherapy through a port-a-cath. He also had hydrocephalus due to the brain invasion of the ALL. He firstly underwent VP shunting for the treatment of hydrocephalus, but it failed due to an intraabdominal cyst. Then, he underwent VA shunting through the left internal jugular vein. This is the first case in the literature showing both catheters in the right atrium.

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