European Journal of General Medicine

One of the most frequently encountered problems associated with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts which are used in the treat-ment of hydrocephaly is infection. Staphylococcus is considered the most prominent factor in VP shunt infections; Enterococcus is less likely to cause ventriculitis in such patients. A shunt ventriculitis was demonstrated in a 1.5-year-old boy. The VP shunts was removed and an external ventricular drainage system was inserted. Subsequently empiric vancomycin and cephotaxime treat-ment was started. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) began to proliferate in the cerebrospinal fluid culture, and therefore we initiated linezolid and imipenem therapy by the intravenous route. The patient underwent a VP shunt operation 45 days after. In this study, successful therapy with linezolid in VP shunt ventriculitis due to VREF is presented. Key words: Child, ventriculitis, linezoli