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Intratumoral abscess: an unusual complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection

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Abstract

Introduction

Ventriculoperitoneal shunts were routinely used in the past in children with posterior fossa tumors and hydrocephalus. They can, however, cause a multitude of problems.

Case report

This report highlights a previously unencountered phenomenon of a pyogenic abscess forming within a posterior fossa ependymoma as a result of shunt infection. The shunt was exteriorized and the child treated with antibiotics before surgery was done. Only a partial excision of the tumor was possible, as the inflammatory response caused by the abscess had obliterated tissue planes.

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Correspondence to A. G. Chacko.

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Shankar, A., Chacko, G. & Chacko, A.G. Intratumoral abscess: an unusual complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection. Childs Nerv Syst 20, 204–206 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-003-0851-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-003-0851-9

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