Evaluation of a Novel Method of Shunting for Patients With Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

An overlying problem with shunting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is that there is no way to directly measure the volume being drained through a shunt once it has been implanted. Therefore, it becomes very difficult to determine if the shunt is working properly. If the patient’s symptoms remain unchanged, the shunt may not be draining fluid, the pressure setting on the shunt may need to be changed, or the patient may simply be unresponsive to shunt treatment. The objective is to develop a prototype shunt device which is capable of measuring, recording, and controlling the amount of CSF that passes through it on a daily basis. By using a positive displacement pump and controlling the stroke frequency, a volume of fluid similar to CSF (water) is controlled, measured, and recorded. If the volume of CSF being drained could be measured and controlled, this would make troubleshooting much easier. By using a bicorporeal device, power supply, and pumping device, it is hypothesized that shunting can be achieved with success.