Brain and Spine Surgery



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Overview

 

Shunts

Shunts are used to drain off excess fluid and relieve high pressure inside the brain. A shunt is simply a catheter, installed under the skin, running from one of the cavities in the brain to a place where the fluid can be absorbed. Shunts can drain to the peritoneal cavity (the space in the belly in-between organs) to the heart or to the chest (pleural) cavity, depending on the age and physiology of the patient. A one-way valve on the catheter keeps body fluids from contaminating the cerebrospinal fluid and only allows drainage when intracranial pressure reaches a preset minimum. Many shunts placed today can also be adjusted externally using a magnetic device to change the pressure limit without the need for additional surgery.

A shunt is usually composed of three parts: a silicone catheter that enters the enlarged ventricle; a one-way valve that only allows flow away from the ventricle; and tubing which enters the cavity that is to receive the fluid. Each valve is designed to operate at a set pressure, so that a high-pressure valve will allow less fluid to flow through it than a low-pressure valve.

A variety of valve designs are available and efforts are constantly underway to improve them. The entire shunt system is placed underneath the skin.

People who have hydrocephalus usually need a shunt system for the rest of their lives, so additional surgeries may be needed to insert longer tubing to match a child's growth. Revisions to the shunt also may be needed if the tubing becomes blocked or infected.





































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