[Nephropathy caused by ventriculo-atrial derivation (shunt nephritis)]

We report three patients (one, nine and ten year old) who suffered from secondary nephritis caused by an infection of a ventriculo-atrial shunt. In all three cases diagnosis was made based on persistent hematuria accompanied by prolonged fever of unclear origin and was subsequently confirmed by the presence of staphylococcus in the blood. LCR and prosthesis cultures and in the renal biopsy. The period of time elapsed between the insertion of the shunt, the beginning of the illness and the diagnosis, was variable. In the three cases, the treatment consisted of removal of the infected shunt and insertion of a new one in the peritoneum together with antibiotic treatment. The outcome was successful in only two cases, the third died. The hystological study showed the presence of: membranoproliferative, proliferative and intra and extra capillary glomerulonephritis with diffuse semilunae in each case. We point out the importance of the prosthesis infection by low virulence germs, the continuous dissemination of these into the circulatory system and the production and depositing of antibodies at the renal level.