Characteristics of Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt–Associated Infections in Iraqi Children patients: A Retrospective Analysis over a 2-Year Period | ||
| Mustansiriya Medical Journal | ||
| Article 1, Volume 15, Issue 2, August 2016, Pages 20-23 | ||
| Author | ||
| Mohamed A. Al-Tamimi | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Cerebral shunts are commonly used to treat hydrocephalus, the swelling of the brain would be either due to excess of CSF build up or to obstruction of its drainage. Aim: To evaluate the Iraqi paediatric patients with infected shunts, analyzing them according to their age, sex, sort of causative microorganism, clinical presentation and time of infection postoperatively teeming with causes of their hydrocephalus, investigating the etiological causes for their infection. Patients and Methods: In a retrospective study, 23 children 0–12 years of ages who underwent initial CSF ventriculo-peritoneal shunt placement with a discharge dates between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2002 were identified from Neurosurgical hospital in Baghdad. For every child who developed shunt infection we extracted information from the medical record about patient factors including gender, age at initial shunt placement, sort of infection, causative microorganism and timing between initial CSF shunt and initial infection and analyze them Results: It was revealed that a higher incidence of infection occurred at a young age (<1 year old). The majority of them were shunted at first due to congenital hydrocephalus (with our without myelomeningocele 39.2% and 21,7% respectively). Most of the infection happened in the first week after shunt insertion (47.8%) presenting themselves mostly with meningitis (52.1%). Staphylococcus Epedermidis and Aureus were the most common isolated causative organism. Conclusion: patient factors such as age and pathological cause behind hydroce | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Hydrocephalus; infected ventriculo; peritoneal shunt system | ||
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