Peritoneal catheter knot formation in ventriculoperitoneal shunting: an intraoperative artificial phenomenon?

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal catheter knot formation is a rare complication associated with ventriculoperitoneal shunting. In most reports, the knot formation was also considered to be the cause of shunt malfunction. DISCUSSION: In this study, we demonstrate the possible misinterpretation of peritoneal catheter knot formation in ventriculoperitoneal shunting. We found a knot in the peritoneal catheter intraoperatively, while no knot was noted on the abdominal X-ray taken 1 day prior to the operation. Our findings indicate that the knot had actually formed intraoperatively. This case suggests that we should not immediately conclude that a knot is the cause of shunt malfunction in such an operation.