RT Book, Section
A1 Schaffzin, Joshua K.
A1 Simon, Tamara D.
A2 Shah, Samir S.
A2 Kemper, Alex R.
A2 Ratner, Adam J.
SR Print(0)
ID 1157324815
T1 Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infections
T2 Pediatric Infectious Diseases: Essentials for Practice, 2e
YR 2019
FD 2019
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259861536
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1157324815
RD 2024/04/24
AB Cerebrospinal  fluid  (CSF)  shunts  are  the  predominant  mode  of  therapy  for  children  with  hydrocephalus.  Shunt  insertions  and  revisions  are  among  the  most  commonly  performed  neurosurgical  procedures.  Common  causes  of  hydrocephalus  in  children  include  intraventricular  hemorrhage,  myelomeningocele,  central  nervous  system  (CNS)  tumors,  aqueductal  stenosis,  communicating  hydrocephalus,  head  injury,  and  infections.  Most  shunts  are  first  inserted  before  6  months  of  age.1  The  shunt  apparatus  diverts  CSF  away  from  the  ventricles,  preventing  increases  in  intracranial  pressure  that  may  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  [ventriculoperitoneal  (VP)  shunt],  vascular  [ventriculoatrial  (VA)  shunt],  or  pleural  space  [ventriculopleural  (V-Pleural)  shunt]  (Figure  74-1).