[Peritoneal catheter placement into the suprahepatic space: a report of 2 cases with abdominal complications of ventriculoperitoneal shunts].

Complications arising from the placement of ventriculoperitoneal shunts are common. These complications may be related to a number of causes and present with various symptoms. Of these, abdominal complications such as formation of intraperitoneal pseudocysts and abdominal abscesses possibly recur, but, alternative sites for placing the peritoneal catheter of ventriculoperitoneal shunts are limited. We present two cases of ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunctioning due to repeated abdominal complications. The location of the peritoneal end of the shunt was successfully revised to the suprahepatic space in the peritoneal cavity. We describe the clinical course of these two cases in this report, along with a precise technique of placing the peritoneal end of the shunt into the suprahepatic space. In addition, we will discuss the validity of this space as an alternative site for the placement of the peritoneal end of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt.