Cerebrospinal fluid liver pseudocyst:A bizarre long-term complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt:A case report

BACKGROUND Ventriculoperitoneal(VP)shunt placement has become a standard of care procedure in managing hydrocephalus for drainage and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)into the peritoneum.Abdominal pseudocysts containing CSF are the common long-term complication of this frequently performed procedure,mainly because VP shunts have significantly prolonged survival.Of these,liver CSF pseudocysts are rare entities that may cause shunt dysfunction,affect normal organ function,and therefore pose therapeutic challenges.CASE SUMMARY A 49-year-old man with history of congenital hydrocephalus status post bilateral VP shunt placement presented with progressively worsening dyspnea on exertion,abdominal discomfort/distention.Abdominal computed tomography(CT)scan revealed a large CSF pseudocyst in the right hepatic lobe with the tip of VP shunt catheter into the hepatic cyst cavity.Patient underwent robotic laparoscopic cyst fenestration with a partial hepatectomy,and repositioning of VP shunt catheter to the right lower quadrant of the abdomen.Follow-up CT demonstrated a significant reduction in hepatic CSF pseudocyst.CONCLUSION A high index of clinical suspicion is required for early detection of liver CSF pseudocysts since their presentation is often asymptomatic and cunning early in the course.Late-stage liver CSF pseudocysts could have adverse outcomes on the treatment course of hydrocephalus as well as on hepatobiliary dysfunction.There is paucity of data to define the management of liver CSF pseudocyst in current guidelines due to rare nature of this entity.The reported occurrences have been managed by laparotomy with debridement,paracentesis,radiological imaging guided fluid aspiration and laparoscopic-associated cyst fenestration.Robotic surgery is an additional minimally invasive option in the management of hepatic CSF pseudocyst;however,its use is limited by lack of widespread availability and cost of surgery.

Utilization of Hot Spotting to Identify Community Needs and Coordinate Care for High-Cost Patients in Memphis, TN

In 2006, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) created the Congregational Health Network (CHN, TM pending) which works closely with clergy in the most under-served zip codes of the city to improve access to care and overall health status of the population. To best coordinate CHN resources around high-utilization and address the largest health needs in the community, MLH applied hot spotting and geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis techniques. These techniques were coupled with the community health needs assessment process at MLH and qualitative, participatory research findings captured in collaboration with church and other community partners. The methodology, which we call “participatory hot spotting,” is based upon the Camden Model, which leverages hot spotting to assess and prioritize community need in the provision of charity care, but adds a participatory, qualitative layer. In this study, spatial analysis was employed to evaluate hospital-based inpatient and outpatient utilization and define costs of charity care for the health system by area of residence. Ten zip codes accounted for 56% of total system charity care costs. Among these, the largest zip code, as defined by a percentage of total charity costs, contributed 18% of the inpatient utilization and 17% of the cost. Further, this zip code (38109) contributed 69% of the inpatient and 76% of the outpatient charity care volume and accounted for 75% of inpatient and 76% of outpatient charity care costs for the system. These findings were combined with grassroots intelligence that enabled a partnership with clergy and community members and Cigna Healthcare to better coordinate care in a place-based population health management strategy. Presentations of the analytics have subsequently been made to HHS and the CDC, referred to by some as the “Memphis Model”.