Treatment of Hydrocephalus (Continued)

What is a Shunt?

A shunt is simply a device which diverts the accumulated CSF around the obstructed pathways and returns it to the bloodstream.

It consists of a system of tubes with a valve to control the rate of drainage and prevent back-flow.  It is inserted  surgically so that the upper end is in a ventricle of the brain and the lower end leads into the abdomen (ventriculo-peritoneal or V.P. Shunt).

The device is completely enclosed so that all of it is inside the body.  The fluid which is drained into the abdomen passes from there into the bloodstream.  Other drainage sites such as the outer lining of the lungs or the heart can also be used.

In most cases, the shunts are intended to stay in place for life, although alterations or changing the shunt (revisions) might become necessary from time to time.