Tummy Tuck for Patient with VP Shunt?

In addition to clearance from your neurosurgeon, your plastic surgeon needs to see 2 xray films of your abdomen called a KUB with a lateral view. This will alert him or her as to the actual course of your shunt before surgery and provide an important "road map."
Some shunts are tunnelled deep, near the muscles, and are easy to avoid. Others may be very superficial, just under the skin, and could be kinked or otherwise affected by the tummy tuck.
VP Shunts also vary as to where they enter the abdomen...some are down low, others are above the belly button.
Shunts also have a variable legnth of tubing that is left coiled inside the abdomen, and the last thing you want is for that to get pulled out. Shunts placed during childhood are more prone to being short.
Bottom line is your operating surgeon needs a few simple xrays to avoid surprises in surgery, and you need to be aware that any neurological changes after surgery could be from a blocked shunt, and you'd need to get a "shuntogram" done by your neurosurgeon if that occurred.

Hi Luvmylyfe - A tummy tuck may interfere with your shunt, so verify the position of the shunt with your neurosurgeon before surgery. Have the neurosurgeon talk to your plastic surgeon to detemine the shunt location and whether or not it can be removed prior to the procedure and replaced immediately after. Otherwise, if you're cleared medically by your internist you should be okay.

I concur with my colleagues that this is a unqiue scenario. First, I would recommend clearance from your neurosurgeon and an internist (given your blood pressure issues). I would also recommend an evaluation of your tummy by a board certified ASPS member plastic surgeon. With the proper workup and evaluation, I believe a tummy tuck may be a great option for you.