False impression of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter fracture in a stitched X-ray image.

Abstract

Radiological 'stitching' can be used on plain X-ray images to combine several images and is often used in scoliosis for the visualisation of the whole spine. However, for those unaccustomed to radiological stitching, interpretation of these images requires caution as artefacts can be generated of surrounding structures in their processing stage. As described in this report, it is not uncommon for children with neurological diseases to have both neurosurgical pathology and scoliosis. Here we describe the appearance of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt fracture from a stitched image.