Long-term air-exposed functioning hydrocephalus valve with no infection

Andreas T. Kouyialis, George Stranjalis, Stefanos Korfias, Damianos E. Sakas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

One of the reasons for shunt infection is valve erosion through the skin. In such cases, it is common practice to instantly relocate the shunt to avoid infection. We present a 77-year-old female patient with a 15-month history of hydrocephalus valve extrusion. Despite her poor mental status, clinical condition and hygiene, and the prolonged extrusion period, she developed neither a local nor a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infection. The patient was ultimately treated with shunt removal and repositioning. An extensive literature review revealed no previous report of such a case. This case indicates that under rare conditions, central nervous system (CNS) implantable devices might not become contaminated and may remain functional, even if they remain exposed for prolonged periods.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1127-1129
Number of pages3
JournalSouthern Medical Journal
Volume99
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2006

Keywords

  • Hydrocephalus
  • Long-term valve extrusion
  • Shunt complications

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