Route of antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of cerebrospinal fluid-shunt infection.

Background: The main complication of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt surgery is shunt infection. Prevention of these shunt infections consists of the perioperative use of antibiotics that can be administered in five different ways: orally; intravenously; intrathecally; topically; and via the implantation of antibiotic-impregnated shunt catheters.

Objectives: To determine the effect of different routes of antibiotic prophylaxis (i.