Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C E Ekong.
A new introducer system for subcutaneous placement of shunt tubings is described. The advantages of this system over previous introducers are discussed.
A 22-year-old man with a ventriculoatrial shunt was admitted to hospital for investigation of headache, nausea and vomiting. During a procedure done to convert the ventriculoatrial shunt to the ventriculoperitoneal type, the shunt tubing was inadvertently cut in the neck. The atrial end was found to have migrated into the right atrium. It was recovered by percutaneous cardiac catheterization through the femoral vein. The patient tolerated the procedure well. The authors believe that this method of retrieval is easier and carries less operative risk than previously reported methods.
The formation of an abdominal cyst is an uncommon complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunts. Three cases are presented in this paper and 21 previously reported cases and reviewed. The authors believe that decreased absorptive power of the peritoneum as a result of adhesions from previous multiple abdominal procedures or infection (particularly by Staphylococcus epidermidis), or both, is of etiologic significance. The patients presented with abdominal swelling and tenderness due to a malfunctioning shunt. Early diagnosis is possible by roentgenography of the abdomen and radioisotope scanning of the shunt. Paracentesis with conversion of the shunt to a ventriculoatrial or ventriculocisternal type is the treatment of choice.
A clinicopathological study in a case of Roberts syndrome (tetraphocomelia, cleft lip and palate, and phallic hypertrophy) is reported. This patient had hydranencephaly and impeperforate anus, two additional congenital abnormalities so far not reported in this syndrome.
The authors report a patient with a right sphenoid wing meningioma 16 years after a left convexity meningioma was removed. She had no evidence of von Recklinghausen's disease. Both tumors were benign. The literature on multiple meningiomas is reviewed.