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CSFoma
Peritoneal Cerebrospinal Fluid Pseudocyst


General Considerations

  • Loculation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at the distal end of the a ventriculoperitoneal shunt tube
  • May occur secondary to adhesions
  • Leads to an enlarging abdominal and/or pelvic mass at catheter tip
  • CSF from tip is no longer absorbed by peritoneum

Clinical Findings

  • Local signs of  an abdominal mass
  • Increased intracranial pressure signs

Imaging Findings

  • Diagnosis is most often made by ultrasound
    • Sonolucent mass
    • Up to 2 liters of fluid

Treatment

  • Can resolve spontaneously
  • Shunt revision and repositioning
  • Aspiration of cyst’s contents

Complications

  • Infection of pseudocyst can reach >76% in children under 4 years
  • Overall infection rate is 30%

CSFoma. CT scan of lower abdomen at left shows a large fluid-filled cystic mass (black arrow) at the termination of the coiled ventriculoperitoneal shunt tube (red arrows) seen traversing the chest in the chest radiograph at right (white arrows).
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Radiology of the Postoperative GI Tract

By Bruce R. Javors, Ellen L. Wolf

Edition: illustrated

Published by Springer, 2003