Complications in Patients Undergoing Microsurgical Clipping of Intracranial Aneurysms with Pre-existing Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts Following a Cranial Procedure.

Introduction: Patients with ventriculoperitoneal/pleural (VP) shunts occasionally must undergo subsequent craniotomy, craniectomy, or cranioplasty. Due to changes in pressure dynamics following shunt placement, we hypothesized that such patients may have an increased risk of developing symptomatic collections of extra-axial blood, fluid, and/or air postoperatively, leading to longer stays and worse outcomes compared to those undergoing cranial operations without a VP shunt.