“Reverse J Shaped” Skin Flap and Cranial Bone Groove for Shunt Hardware: A New Technique for Patients with Fragile Skin

Özet

Shunt systems are not perfect devices and can cause severe complications. Complications may originate from problems relatedto the valve, the patient, or the surgery and are more common in neonates, infants, especially preterm, by reason of the specialcharacteristics of these patients. We, therefore, have successfully developed a useful and viable surgical technique in order toprovide helpful aspects to the surgical issues mentioned above. This technique includes a “reverse J shaped” skin incision nonintersecting the shunt’s hardware and distal catheter to reduce wound problems to a minimum by opening a “bone groove”. Webelieve that the above technique described by us will both reduce issues such as scalp ulceration, wound dehiscence, and shuntexposure in premature and pediatric hydrocephalus cases with a friable scalp, and eliminate a cosmetic problem in hydrocephalicpatients of all ages.