Objective and importance: The gallbladder is used to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with hydrocephalus when all other sites have been exhausted. This is seen in hydrocephalic patients who have reached teenage years but have undergone multiple shunt revisions, abdominal operations and repeated neck vein cannulations during childhood. One complication of the lumbar-gallbladder shunt is discussed as well as its pathophysiologic theory and management.
Clinical presentation: A case of a patient with a lumbar-gallbladder shunt who developed chemical meningitis from reflux of bile into the CSF space is presented. The patient presented with generalized seizures.
Intervention: Included: ventilatory support, externalization of the shunt, correction of the metabolic abnormalities and administration of anticonvulsants and steroids.
Conclusion: This case illustrates an unusual occurrence of reflux of bile into the CNS through a lumbar-gallbladder shunt in a patient with long-term complex communicating hydrocephalus. It also demonstrates its mode of presentation and successful management. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of its kind.