title: Causative role of infection in chronic non-thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension following ventriculo-atrial shunt.
abstract: A severe complication of ventriculo-atrial (VA) shunt placement for treatment of hydrocephalus is chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). We report here a patient with a VA shunt for treatment of hydrocephalus who presented two consecutive episodes of VA shunt-induced infection by Staphylococcus epidermidis and who rapidly developed chronic PH. Extensive radiological investigations and normal ventilation/perfusion lung scan allowed us to rule out CTEPH. To our knowledge, no other case of chronic pulmonary hypertension (PH) related to VA shunt insertion has been reported so far. PH in this patient with VA shunt is clinically distinct from CTEPH and has been caused by VA shunt-induced S. epidermidis infection per se.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hopital Lariboisière, APHP , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amelot
authors.forename: Schaharazad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouazza
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bresson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: VA-shunt; hydrocephaly; infectious; pulmonary hypertension