Tropical Medicine & Surgery

Abstract

Tuberculous Infection around Shunt Tube–An Unusual Presentation with Review of Literature

Sanjay Kumar, Monika Gupta, Sonia Hasija, Ishwar Singh, Sant Prakash Kataria and Rajeev Sen

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt is one of the most frequently performed procedures by the neurosurgeons in clinical practice. This simple device results in great improvement in neurological functions and survival of patients with hydrocephalous. Infections associated with the shunt placement vary between 2 to 27%. Central nervous system infection is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality causing malfunction and chronic ill health and a few cases may even turn fatal. They are mainly caused by coagulase negative staphylococcus and rarely by other bacterias like streptococci, enterococci, Gram negative bacilli, fungus etc. We encountered a very rare case in which a 12 year-old female child developed an infection of subcutaneous tissue around the shunt tube that was consistent with M. tuberculosis.