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Research Article

Causative role of infection in chronic non-thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension following ventriculo-atrial shunt

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Pages 559-561 | Received 28 Apr 2013, Accepted 06 Oct 2013, Published online: 01 Nov 2013
 

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.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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