PMC5122702_01
Left inguinal hernia containing the fractured VP shunt catheter.
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His abdomen was soft, non-tender, and he had a palpable bulge in the left hemi-scrotum that was felt to contain a loop of catheter (Fig. 1).
Abdominal radiograph showing the fractured shunt catheter herniating into the left scrotum.
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A shunt series showed fracture of the VP shunt with the catheter coiled and extending into the left inguinal-scrotal region (Fig. 2).
A) The first fractured VP shunt catheter was removed easily from the hernia sac. B) The second shunt catheter was adherent to the left testicle.
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Upon opening the hernia sac, the fractured VP shunt catheter was found and easily removed (Fig. 3A). It was very fibrotic and adherent to the testicle, tangled around the testicle in multiple locations (Fig. 3B).
Two separate shunt catheters were removed from the scrotum and sent to pathology. The catheters are made of different colored plastics.
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The shunts were of 2 different colors, and were obviously from 2 different VP shunt placements (Fig. 4).