Been dealing with this off and on

Question

When I was 15 I was diagnosed with Pseudotumor Cerebri.  Only after many failed trips to ERs was I spotted by a neurologist who new what I had.  It turned out that at 15 I was suffering from medication induced PTC as a result of Acutane.  i had the eye surgery done immediately to relieve the pressure. I recovered and went about my life.  It wasn't until 10 years later (2years ago)that I all ofthe sudden started having headaches and loss of vision.  I went to a neurologist and then had emergency LP Shunt surgery....Everything has gone well, but now I am about to have replacement surgery next week because my shunt has deviated.  During the office visit with the surgeon today, we asked about doing a VP shunt instead and he refuses because my ventricles are very small and it is more risky.  I just want my shunt to last longer then 2 years....I really wanna know what the advantages of a LP are over a VP and vice versa.
Thanks

Cath278 · Answer

Hi.I have IIH,PTCs new name! I had a VP shunt surgery done in Dec 08.
I have very high pressure at all times, prior to shunt ,op 48. post shunt op 35.
My Vp shunt is working perfectly well, it just cant cope with the amount of csf I produce.
I was to have  a second VP shunt in Sept of last yr but with in 2 mths, my ventricles had collapsed.

I just had a second opionion, from a leading NS, and he also said that futher shunting in my head was impossible.
My next, propossed step, is a lp shunt, with which I am not happy about.

If I can give you any information as regards an VP shunt , let me know. Would be glad to chat about it. Cath278.

anuragsrivastava · Answer

If you had continuous headache, possible causes may be shunt was either under-draining or over-draining. Now your doctor should ***** this with a lumbar puncture and measures the fluid pressure. He or She may make some adjustment of the shunt to allow it to drain more and can monitor if the headache improve. Another possibility could be shunt is over-draining, that may lead to low CSF pressure that can also lead to headache. This may improve when the person lies down and gets worse when the person sits or stands. Other possibility could be migraine or cluster headache since these types of headaches are quite common. Even then if you suffer continuous headache, please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who will evaluate the further underlying disorders here that may be the main reasons of her headaches and can suggest you appropriate treatment. Hope this information proves helpful to you.