Acute cholecystitis complicating ventriculo-peritoneal shunting: report of a case and review of the literature.
METHODS
A 3-year-old boy underwent emergency external ventricular drainage and excision of a fourth ventricle anaplastic ependymoma. A week later, the child was given a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. Fourteen days after shunting, the child developed a subphrenic abscess and acute cholecystitis that required surgery.


RESULTS
A Staphylococcus epidermidis was isolated both from the ventricular catheter and CSF and from the subphrenic abscess and the gallbladder. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cholecystitis evolving as a descending shunt infection. The current literature related with this unique complication is briefly reviewed.
Martínez-Lage
Juan F
JF
Regional Service of Neurosurgery, Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia, Spain. juanf.martinezlage@cablemurcia.com
Girón Vallejo
Oscar
O
López López-Guerrero
Antonio
A
Martínez-Lage Azorín
Laura
L
Roqués
José Luis
JL
Almagro
María José
MJ
D002675:Child, Preschool; D041881:Cholecystitis, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D020546:Fourth Ventricle / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects*