VISUAL-LOSS AS THE MANIFESTING SYMPTOM OF VENTRICULOPERITONEAL SHUNT MALFUNCTION

PURPOSE: To treat a 30-year-old man with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt who had progressive visual loss. METHODS: The patient underwent comput ed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging scans and ocular examina tion. RESULTS: He was diagnosed with ventriculoperitoneal shunt failur e despite the lack of ventriculomegaly on computed tomographic scan of the head and the rack of papilledema. The patient eventually underwen t ventriculoperitoneal shunt revision, but visual function did not imp rove. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of visual acuity or visual field, or both, may be the initial and only symptom of ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunc tion. Shunt failure may occur without other features of increased intr acranial pressure or ventriculomegaly on neuroimaging studies.