Ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion is one of the most common pediatric neurosurgical procedures performed. Shunt migration is one of the infrequent complications of shunt insertion and often requires a change of the shunt system. The objective of the study is to systematically review the sites of shunt migration and factors associated with mortality in children. Comprehensive search and review of the literature were done according to the PRISMA guidelines. Citations were selected using the following inclusion criteria: 1. Shunt migration in ventriculoperitoneal shunts was the primary inclusion criteria, 2. Age of the study participants <18 years, and 3. Patient-level data available in the study. Exclusion criteria were 1. Age >18 years, 2. Patient-level data not available, 3. Full text of the article not available, and 4. Article not in the English language. Sites of migration and risk factors for mortality were assessed. In total, 111 studies out of 161 studies were included in the final analysis. The scrotum was the most common site of shunt migration (30.67%), followed by anal migration, migration into the bowel, chest wall/thoracic migration, and intracranial/subgaleal migration. Univariate analysis showed the presence of infection and site of migration to be significantly associated with mortality. Multivariate analysis showed the presence of infection and age at presentation to be significant predictors of mortality. This study highlights that presence of infection is a significant predictor of mortality in cases of shunt migration. Infection should be managed expeditiously for optimum management of shunt migration.

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The torcular herophili, also known as the confluence of the sinuses, has a highly variable anatomy and up to 9 different types have been reported in the literature. We describe a case of a circular configuration of the torcular herophili in a child who presented with headache in absence of other abnormalities. The torcular herophili embryologically develops from the anterior and middle dural plexus.The anterior dural plexus is joined posteriorly by the middle dural plexus forming the junctional area of the drainage of superior sagittal sinus, straight sinus and bilateral transverse sinus, thereby forming the primitive torcular herophili 2. We propose that the circular configuration of the torcular herophili may cause episodes of headache due to raised intracranial pressure secondary to venous congestion caused by this configuration of the torcular.

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Background: Paroxysmal sympathetic hyper-activity (PSH) is a syndrome characterized by excessive activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The cerebrovascular flow dynamics during the episodes of paroxysmal hyper-activity has also not been clearly examined in the literature. Case History: A 12-year-old boy with operated exophytic brain stem pilocytic astrocytoma was diagnosed with paroxysmal sympathetic hyper-activity. The trans-cranial Doppler flow characteristics of the bilateral middle cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery are described in this report. Conclusion: The diagnosis of PSH requires an index of suspicion on the part of the clinician. The episodes of sympathetic hyper-activity are associated with significant changes in physiologic parameters in the patients including changes in cerebrovascular flow dynamics.