TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 70. Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infections A1 - Hart, Jessica K. A1 - Shah, Samir S. A2 - Shah, Samir S. PY - 2009 T2 - Pediatric Practice: Infectious Disease AB - Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or ventricular, shunts are the predominant mode of therapy for children with hydrocephalus. Common causes of hydrocephalus in children include myelomeningocele, meningocele, obstructive or communicating hydrocephalus, intraventricular hemorrhage, congenital cyst, and central nervous system tumors.1 The majority of shunts are inserted in the perinatal period. The shunts divert CSF away from the ventricles, preventing increases in intracranial pressure that lead to neurologic sequelae. The typical CSF shunt has a proximal portion that enters the CSF space, an intermediate reservoir that lies outside the skull but underneath the skin, and a distal portion that terminates in either the peritoneal (ventriculoperioteal [VP] shunt), vascular (ventriculoatrial shunt; VA shunt), or pleural space (Figure 70–1). SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6927486 ER -