EEG Correlates of Spikes in Intracranial Pressure Caused by Transient Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Malfunction

Summary: A 30-year-old man with recurrent headaches and seizure-like activity and a 26-year-old woman with worsening headaches were admitted to the hospital. Both had ventriculoperitoneal shunts and history of several shunt revisions for congenital hydrocephalus. The ventricle size visualized on computed tomography scans was unremarkable, and shunt series were negative in both cases. Both patients began to present with brief periods of unresponsiveness, and video electroencephalography at that time showed periods of diffuse delta slowing. Lumbar punctures revealed increased opening pressures. Despite normal imaging and shunt series, both patients ultimately had increased intracranial pressure caused by shunt malfunction. This series demonstrates the difficulty of diagnosing potential transient increases in intracranial pressure based on standard-of-care diagnostics/examination and the potentially critical role for EEG in the identification of shunt malfunction.