PROJECT TITLE :

Impedance Changes Indicate Proximal Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Obstruction In Vitro

ABSTRACT:

Extracranial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt obstruction is one of the foremost necessary problems in hydrocephalus patient management. Despite ongoing analysis into higher shunt style, strong and reliable detection of shunt malfunction remains elusive. The authors gift a novel methodology of correlating degree of tissue ingrowth into ventricular CSF drainage catheters with internal electrical impedance. The impedance based mostly sensor is in a position to continuously monitor shunt patency using intraluminal electrodes. Prototype obstruction sensors were fabricated for in-vitro analysis of cellular ingrowth into a shunt under static and dynamic flow conditions. Primary astrocyte cell lines and C6 glioma cells were allowed to proliferate up to 7 days within a shunt catheter and therefore the impedance waveform was observed. Throughout cell ingrowth a vital amendment in the height-to-peak voltage signal as well as the root-mean-sq. voltage level was observed, allowing the impedance sensor to potentially anticipate shunt malfunction long before it affects fluid drainage. Finite part modeling was utilized to demonstrate that the electrical signal used to watch tissue ingrowth is contained within the catheter lumen and will not endanger tissue surrounding the shunt. These results could herald the event of “next generation” shunt technology that permits prediction of malfunction before it affects patient outcome.