Why the migration of peritoneal shunt catheter into the scrotum occurs more in children: A systematic literature review

Core Tip

Core Tip: The present manuscript is a systematic review and was carried out to review the demographics, clinical features, and outcome of the surgical therapy executed for the migration of the distal ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) catheter into the scrotum. This study included n = 120 cases (n = 112 children and n = 8 adults and older individuals) treated for the complication, mentioned above, and published from 1974 to June 30, 2024. Migration of the distal VPS catheter to the right scrotum was most frequent/common, both in children and adults, and older people. In children, the majority of cases (four-fifths) were diagnosed and treated for above mentioned VPS complication during the first 24 months of their life or earlier. Additionally, the complication was detected within the first 12 months after the initial VPS insertion, in four-fifths of the cases. Clinically, the cases presented with the chief complaint of scrotal swelling of varying duration. Two-thirds of the children underwent surgical repositioning of the migrated distal VPS catheter into the peritoneal cavity and herniotomy. The systematic literature review revealed two deaths among the adults/older patients and none among the children treated for migration of the distal VPS catheter into the scrotum.