Lumbar-peritoneal shunt

A lumbar–peritoneal shunt is a technique to channelise the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the lumbar thecal sac into the peritoneal cavity.

A shunt is described as a tube, catheter or "surgically created anastomosis" and is designed to bypass or redirect bodily fluids from one point in the body to another.

Lumbar–peritoneal shunts are used in neurological disorders, in cases of chronic increased intracranial pressure to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the Subarachnoid cavity associated with such conditions as hydrocephalus and Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), idiopathic intracranial hypertension is the preferred name for the condition.

There are various categories of medical shunts and there are two main categories of shunt used in the treatment of chronic increased intracranial pressure due to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), they are cerebral shunts and lumbar shunts (extracranial shunts). Below is a list of the various types of the above two categories of shunts:

Each of the types of shunts listed above can be composed of a tube or catheter and various types of valves, although they can just be composed of the tubing or catheter. Below is a list of valves that are used in lumbar–peritoneal shunts (LP shunts) and Cerebral shunts (for a more detailed list of the types of valves see type of valves):

The composition of a lumbar–peritoneal shunt is dependent on the Neurosurgeon performing the operation, there are no guidelines determining what the composition of the lumbar–peritoneal shunt should be for different types of cases. The composition of the lumbar–peritoneal shunt can affect how well the patient will get on with the shunt and whether or not they may need revisions in the future, although this is not the only determining factor in whether or not a revision will be necessary.

The lumbar–peritoneal shunt is inserted between two of the vertebrae in the lumbar region of the spine into the Subarachnoid cavity, also known as the Subarachnoid space. The Subarachnoid cavity is a spongy tissue-filled cavity that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and this is where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is contained. The shunt is placed under the skin and continues around the oblique muscles on one side of the body, and terminates at the peritoneal cavity, a cavity in the abdomen area of the body. Once in place the lumbar–peritoneal shunt is used to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain via the Subarachnoid cavity and transport it to the peritoneal cavity, where it is eventually absorbed by the organs and passed out of the body during urination.

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