Endovascular retrieval of a broken distal ventriculoatrial shunt catheter within the heart: illustrative case

Abstract

BACKGROUND Displacement of a distal catheter of a ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt is a rare complication and can lead to a challenging extraction requiring endovascular retrieval of the distal catheter. OBSERVATIONS The authors describe a patient in whom the distal catheter of the VA shunt had become displaced and traveled through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricular outflow tract. LESSONS In this case report, the authors present a multidisciplinary approach to retrieving a displaced distal catheter from a VA shunt.