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A cerebral shunt is a device permanently implanted inside the head and body to drain excess fluid away from the brain. They are commonly used to treat hydrocephalus , the swelling of the brain due to excess buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Cerebrospinal fluid diversion is a procedure that is used to drain fluid from the brain and spinal cord. A shunt is placed in a ventricle of the brain and threaded under the skin to another part of the body, usually the abdomen. It is used to treat hydrocephalus and idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
It is done by surgically penetrating the skull, dura mater, and brain such that the ventricular system ventricle of the brain is accessed. When catheter drainage is temporary, it is commonly referred to as an external ventricular drain (EVD). When catheter drainage is permanent, it is usually referred to as a shunt.
An external ventricular drain (EVD), also known as a ventriculostomy or extraventricular drain, is a device used in neurosurgery to treat hydrocephalus and relieve elevated intracranial pressure when the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside the brain is obstructed.
The shunt also has a valve which serves to maintain one-way flow of the CSF and regulates the flow rate. The end with the catheter is placed in the third ventricle to drain the excess CSF and the other end is placed in the peritoneal cavity or atrium of the heart (making it a ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunt, respectively). The ...
Baby recovering from shunt surgery Ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement in child with hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is treated through surgery by creating creating a way for the excess fluid to drain away. An external ventricular drain (EVD), also known as an extraventricular drain or ventriculostomy, provides relief in the short term. [37]
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nervous system, and cerebrovascular system. [1]
A shunt has risk of infection and failure for which subsequent surgery is needed. Complications of ETV include hemorrhage (the most severe being due to basilar artery rupture), injury to neural structures (e.g. hypothalamus, pituitary gland or fornix of the brain), and late sudden deterioration. [3]