Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for a Patient with a Lumboperitoneal Shunt: A Rare Case

A rare factor that can complicate the perioperative course of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is previous placement of a lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt. Thus far, only two articles describing this situation have been published. Here, we report on a 41-year-old female patient with gallstone disease and a LP shunt placement in the preceding year due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension. It is a syndrome of increased intracranial pressure without any known cause that mainly affects young obese women. The patient was operated upon using standard port placement and peritoneal insufflation. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was discharged shortly after the procedure. Due to the increasing incidence and prevalence of obesity; the number of general surgical patients with a LP shunt will likely increase. Based on our experience and evidence in the literature, we conclude that performing a laparoscopy for a patient with a LP shunt is safe.