Sureshunt: An Improved Ventricular Catheter

Hydrocephalus is a condition characterized by a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricular cavities of brain.The condition is mostcommonly treated with a ventricular shunt;acathetercontinually drains CSF from the brain.Of the approximately 40,000 shunts placed each year, more than 80% fail within 10 yearswithmore than 50% of these failures dueto obstruction of the catheter fromchoroid plexus growth into the catheter.As a result, patients must undergo,on average,2.7revisionsurgeries throughout their lifetime.

Sureshuntaims to solve this problem. Unlike the current catheter, Sureshunt uses the ventricular anatomy to its advantage.The lateral ventricle, the most common target for a ventricular shunt, consists of an oblong cavity within the brainwith choroid plexus lining the floor of the ventricle.When the current axial catheter is placed, the drainage ports are exposed to the choroid plexus, and subsequently blocked by choroid plexus infiltration.With its novel design, Sureshunt is able to prevent contact between the drainage ports and the choroid plexusdue to itscharacteristic shielded configuration. With its ability to collapse into the standard form factor, a straight pointed tube, Sureshunt can be inserted just like the current catheter. With little change in procedural workflow, surgeons are able to safely insert the catheter while ensuring long-termfunctionality. Therehave been several attempts at a solution, including a flanged ventricular catheter and a coiled catheter introduced in 1976.However, these catheters only delay the time between initial growth and revision, increasing the patients risk of hemorrhage and are not currently used for this reason.Sureshunt is able to increase the functional lifetime of the catheter while increasing patient safety.