[Delayed brain abscess as a complication of a CSF shunt]

Infection is a common complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunts, but the formation of a brain abscess related to shunt system is very rare. We present the case of a patient who developed a brain abscess around a ventricular catheter left in place after removing the valvular system.

This 38 years old woman, underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting for hydrocephalus secondary to an acoustic neurinoma. During a period of thirteen years she suffered two episodes of meningitis, and after the second one the CSF shunt was removed excepting for the ventricular catheter which appeared to be adherent to the choroid plexus. One year later, a brain abscess arised around that catheter, and both the abscess and the catheter were removed (Proteus mirabilis was the cultured germ).

In spite of the risks related to removal of a proximal catheter adherent to the choroid plexus, the risk linked to the removal of a ventricular catheter must be counterbalanced with the risk of infection.