Introduction :
Craniophayngiomas are epithelial tumors, developing from the remnants of
the Rathke pouch, and expending within the sellar and supra-sellar
areas. Despite their benign histological nature, their propensity to
infiltrate surrounding tissues, as well as their close proximity to the
pituitary stalk, hypothalamus, optic chiasm, carotid arteries and third
ventricle, may lead to serious morbidities and be source for therapeutic
difficulties (1,2).
Some craniopharyngiomas, mainly of retrochiasmatic development, may
compress the third ventricle or even the foramina of Monroe and cerebral
aqueduct, leading to an upward hydrocephalus. This complication, added
to the volume of the tumor, may be source of an important intracranial
hypertension. Thus, a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunting may be
mandatory before resection of the tumor (3,4).
In this paper, we report the case of a child who underwent a
ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting as he presented a hydrocephalus
related to a craniopharyngioma. The ventricular catheter perforated the
cyst which expressed through an aseptic ascites and a chemical
meningitis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to be
reported for such an inadvertence.