Peritoneo-venous shunts for malignant ascites.

Ten patients with uncontrollable malignant ascites had a Le Veen peritoneo-venous shunt inserted. A shunt controlled ascites (for up to 15 months) in five of seven patients until death occurred from the underlying malignancy. In two of three surviving patients, a shunt has controlled ascites for six and seven months respectively; in the third patient a shunt blocked after three months and was replaced by another shunt which is still functioning after six months. Peritoneo-venous shunting is indicated for the treatment of uncontrollable malignant ascites when the patient is expected to survive more than one month.