The Diagnostic Dilemma of Shunt Malfunction and Statistical Analysis of Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to collect and tabulate data from case studies about ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt malfunctions and determine if correlations exist between the possible cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt malfunction causes and the symptoms of these malfunctions. Close associations between the two variables would contribute to identifying causal relationships, to decrease time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis to avoid invasive procedures during the diagnosing process. Case studies involving VP shunt malfunctions within the past five years were identified. Chi-square tests were performed to assess the interdependence of shunt symptoms and their causes. Unadjusted odds ratios were calculated for significant findings. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 26 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corporation). The results of the review showed that there were positive correlations between the following types of malfunction and symptoms: obstruction with headache; infection with localized symptoms; leakage with being asymptomatic; proximal catheter migration with vomiting; distal catheter migration with localized symptoms; valve/reservoir migration with vomiting, drowsiness, and neck pain/stiffness; extrusion with localized symptoms; mechanical valve issue with being asymptomatic, headache, and nausea/dizziness; and valve setting malfunctions with headache. This study showed that each malfunction type more commonly causes certain symptoms than others.