Management of a Patient With Gynecomastia With Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Shunt: A Case Report

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts traverse the anterior chest through breast parenchyma. Any breast surgery planned for patients with VP shunts requires extra caution, as it poses a risk of injury to the shunt. This is a case report of a 19-year-old male patient who had bilateral (B/L) gynecomastia, with a pre-existing VP shunt, and was operated successfully by power-assisted liposuction (PAL) without any displacement or injury to the shunt. This was possible only because of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to preserve the shunt; in this case, it involved an interprofessional discussion between the operating plastic surgeon, neurosurgeon, and radiologist during preoperative planning. The patient had a satisfactory recovery with good cosmesis postoperatively.