Safety and Efficacy of Ventricular Irrigation for Ventriculitis

Ventriculitis is a severe infectious disease of the central nervous system with diverse etiologies. Currently, the treatment for ventriculitis is challenging, with poor prognosis. The mortality rate of ventriculitis is generally reported to be higher than 30%, with the highest reaching over 75%. Even among survivors, over 60% suffer from a variety of neurological sequelae, including cognitive impairment, gait disturbances, paralysis, behavioral disorders, and epilepsy. Currently, treatments for ventriculitis recommended by guidelines primarily focus on the selection and administration of antibiotics, while the effects of surgical interventions have not been fully elucidated. In recent years, several studies have explored the use of ventricular irrigation in ventriculitis, indicating that ventricular irrigation techniques may accelerate the control of ventricular infection, mitigate damage to the central nervous system caused by infections, improve the prognosis of ventriculitis, and reduce complications such as hydrocephalus. However, current studies are still relatively scarce, and mostly case reports and retrospective studies. High-quality evidence is still lacking for the application of ventricular irrigation in ventriculitis. This multicenter randomized controlled trial aims to explore the safety and effectiveness of ventricular irrigation compared to conventional treatment for ventriculitis, analyze the effectiveness of ventricular irrigation across different pathogen subgroups, and investigate independent risk factors for different prognostic states in patients with ventriculitis.