SOC
Surgery on Children

Surgery on Children Journal aims to publish issues related to Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, Pediatric Vascular Surgery, Pediatric Gynecology and Obstetrics, Pediatric Ear Nose Throat, Ophthalmology, Pediatric Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Surgical Intensive Care Clinic, and other clinical surgery fields on children of the highest scientific and clinical value at an international level and accepts articles on these topics.

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Case Report
Chronic ventriculoperitoneal shunt-related costal destruction: a rare case report
Abstract
Although VP shunts are widely used in the treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus, they are associated with various infectious and mechanical complications. The most frequently reported problems are shunt infections and catheter obstructions; rare complications, however, can pose diagnostic difficulties. This study presents an extremely rare case of costal destruction and osteomyelitis resulting from chronic mechanical contact with a VP shunt catheter. A five-year-old female patient, who had a VP shunt placed on the second postnatal day due to meningomyelocele and hydrocephalus, presented with an abscess in the right flank region and subsequent transparent discharge. The patient underwent surgical exploration, the infected costal segment was excised, and VP shunt revision was performed simultaneously. Chronic mechanical contact from VP shunts can rarely cause bone destruction and osteomyelitis. Therefore, bone involvement should always be considered when encountering unexplained local infections along the shunt line.

Keywords : Ventriculoperitoneal shunt, shunt complications, costal destruction

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Article available in :
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2026
Page : 97-99
https://doi.org/10.51271/SOC-0079
Article Information
Received : 13 Apr 2026
Accepted : 12 May 2026
Published : 29 Jul 2026
Corresponding Author :

Ergün Bahadırhan Karkın: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Karkın EB, Tekkanat B. Chronic ventriculoperitoneal shunt-related costal destruction: a rare case report. Surg Child. 2026;3(3):97-99. doi:10.51271/SOC-0079

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