title: Epidemiology, prevention and management of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections in children.
abstract: The advent of ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) represented a substantial progress in the neurosurgical management of hydrocephalus in children. VPS infection is the most frequently observed complication. VPS infection is related to substantial morbidity and mortality, and exerts a negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Considerable personnel and financial resources have been devoted to its diagnosis and treatment. This article reviews the current literature and includes suggestions for the prevention, diagnosis and management of VPS infections.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Bonn, DE-53113 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prusseit
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von der Brelie
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heep
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molitor
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Volz
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015994:Incidence; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*