Swedish cohort study found that half of the girls with shunted hydrocephalus had precocious or early puberty.

AIM: We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of, and risk factors for precocious and early puberty in a retrospective cohort study of girls with shunted infantile hydrocephalus. METHODS: The study population comprised 82 girls with infantile hydrocephalus, born between 1980 and 2002, and treated with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Data were available for 39 girls with myelomeningocele and 34 without. Medical records were analysed regarding clinical data and timing of puberty. Precocious and early puberty was defined as the appearance of pubertal signs before 8 years and 0 months and 8 years and 9 months, respectively. RESULTS: Median age at last admission was 15.8 years (range 10.0-18.0). In total, 15 girls (21%) had precocious puberty, and another 21 (29%) had early puberty. Three or more shunt revisions had been performed in 26/36 girls with early or precocious puberty and in 3/37 girls without (p = 0.01). The number of shunt revisions correlated negatively with age at the start of puberty in the girls with myelomeningocele (Spearman's correlation coefficient = -0.512, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Girls with shunted infantile hydrocephalus have a high risk of precocious or early puberty. Repeated shunt revisions seemed to be associated with early puberty.

Analysis of Codman microcerebrospinal fluid shunt.

INTRODUCTION: Ventriculo-peritoneal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt is the most common method of treating pediatric hydrocephalus. The Codman microadjustable valve (CMAV) is a CSF shunt constructed for children. The objective of the study was (a) to analyze complications after insertion of a CMAV shunt in hydrocephalic children, (b) to analyze complications after replacing a CMAV by an adult-type Codman Hakim adjustable valve shunt (CHAV), and to (c) analyze the in vitro characteristics of the CMAV shunt and correlate the findings with the clinical performance of the shunt. METHODS: A retrospective study analyzed a cohort of hydrocephalic children who had received a CMAV shunt and later replaced by a CHAV shunt. We report on the complications that resulted from replacing the CMAV with the CHAV. We tested six CMAV shunts with or without an antisiphon device (ASD) in which opening pressure, resistance, sensitivity to abdominal pressure, ASD position dependency, and function were determined. The test results were correlated with the clinical performance of the shunt in the retrospective study. RESULTS: Thirty-seven children (19 boys, 18 girls) were identified. Within the first month after shunt placement, a total of 10 patients (27%) developed complications including infections, hygromas, and shunt dysfunction. Shunt survival varied from 1 week to 145 months. Over the 10-year follow-up period, 13 children had their shunts replaced, six of them with a CHAV without any further complications. A bench test of the CMAV was done to test whether the opening pressure was in agreement with the manufacturer's specifications. Our results were generally in agreement with specifications stated by the manufacturer. CONCLUSION: Replacing a CMAV with a CHAV was well tolerated by the patients. Bench test results were generally in agreement with manufacturers specifications. Replacing a CMAV with a CHAV in pediatric hydrocephalus patients can be accomplished safely.

Evaluation of Strata NSC and Codman Hakim adjustable cerebrospinal fluid shunts and their corresponding antisiphon devices.

OBJECT: The authors investigated and compared the in vitro characteristics of 2 CSF shunts, the Strata NSC and the Codman Hakim, and their corresponding antisiphon devices (ASDs). METHODS: Six new CSF shunts and the corresponding ASDs for each model were tested in an automated, computerized experimental setup based on pressure regulation. Opening pressure accuracy, resistance, sensitivity to abdominal pressure, antisiphon effect, and the influence of different ASD positions were determined. RESULTS: In general the shunts performed according to the manufacturers' specifications. However, at the lowest setting, the opening pressure of the Strata NSC was close to 0, and in the Codman Hakim shunt, it was higher than specified. The resistance in the Codman Hakim shunt (5.4 mm Hg/ml/min) was much higher than that in the Strata NSC (3.6 mm Hg/ml/min). Abdominal pressure affected opening pressure in both valves. Positioning the Strata ASD above or below the ventricular catheter tip resulted in higher and lower opening pressures, respectively, than when it was placed in line with the catheter. The positioning of the Codman Hakim ASD did not influence the opening pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Both CSF shunts work properly, but at the lowest setting the opening pressure of the Strata NSC was near 0 and in the Codman Hakim it was twice the manufacturer's specifications. The resistance in the Strata NSC was below the normal physiological range, and in the Codman Hakim device it was in the lower range of normal. The ASD did not change the shunt characteristics in the lying position and therefore might not do so in children. If this is the case, then a shunt system with an integrated ASD could be implanted at the first shunt insertion, thus avoiding a second operation and the possibility of infection.

Cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections in children over a 13-year period: anaerobic cultures and comparison of clinical signs of infection with Propionibacterium acnes and with other bacteria.

OBJECT: Shunt infections represent a major problem with risk for sequelae and even death. The aim in this retrospective study was to analyze the incidence, origin, and clinical presentation of shunt infections, with special reference to the results of cultures for anaerobic organisms performed in addition to the usual tests, to prolonged incubation times, and to infections caused by Propionibacterium acnes. METHODS: The medical records of 237 hydrocephalic children (age range 0-15 years) in whom operations were performed by a pediatric surgeon at Uppsala University Hospital during a 13-year period were reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-four verified or suspected intraventricular shunt infections and 5 distal catheter infections occurred after 474 operations. Skin bacteria, such as coagulase-negative staphylococci ([CoNS], 19 patients), Staphylococcus aureus (7 patients), and P. acnes (6 patients) predominated. The addition of anaerobic cultures and prolonged incubation times increased the verification of shunt infection by more than one third. Children with P. acnes infection were significantly older, had a lower body temperature, fewer cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocytes, a higher CSF/blood glucose ratio, more distal catheter infections, and other sources of infection. Four had an abdominal pseudocyst. Children < 1 year of age and infected with CoNS were more affected than older children with systemic and local symptoms. In children with distal catheter infection and growth of propionibacteria at the time of the distal catheter and valve replacement, no follow-up antibiotic treatment was necessary. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of anaerobic cultures and prolonged incubation times led to an increase in the detection of shunt infections. Infections caused by propionibacteria often result in mild symptoms that may be overlooked if adequate anaerobic cultures are not obtained.

Treatment of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections in children using systemic and intraventricular antibiotic therapy in combination with externalization of the ventricular catheter: efficacy in 34 consecutively treated infections.

OBJECT: There are no randomized studies comparing the efficacy of different antibiotic regimens for the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infections, and in the studies that have been reported, efficacy data are limited. The aim of this study was therefore to report the authors' experience using a specific protocol for the management of shunt infections in children. Standard treatment included a two-stage procedure involving externalization of the ventricular catheter in combination with intraventricular and systemic administration of antibiotic medication followed by shunt replacement. Intraventricular treatment consisted of daily instillations of vancomycin or gentamicin with trough concentrations held at high levels of 7 to 17 mg/L for both antibiotic agents. METHODS: During a 13-year study period, the authors treated 34 consecutive intraventricular shunt infections in 30 children. Infections with coagulase-negative staphylococci predominated, and Gram-negative bacterial infection occurred in five children. Ten of the children were initially treated with intravenous antibiotic therapy for at least 3 days, but this treatment did not sterilize the CSF. After externalization of the ventricular catheter, high-dose intraventricular treatment was given for a median of 8 days (range 3-17 days) before shunt replacement. RESULTS: The CSF was found to be sterile (cultures were negative for bacteria) in one of three, seven of eight, 20 of 20, and six of six cases after 1, 2, 3, and more than 3 days' treatment, respectively. In no case was any subsequent culture positive after a negative result had been obtained. Clinical symptoms resolved in parallel with the sterilization of the CSF. There were no relapses or deaths during the 6-month follow-up period, and there have been none as of April 2007. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the ventricular catheter being left in place and the short duration of therapy, the treatment regimen described by the authors resulted in quick sterilization of the CSF, a low relapse rate, and survival of all patients in this series.