CSF shunt valve

摘要

The CSF shunt valve includes an elongate, hollow housing and a valve unit disposed within the housing. A plurality of exit ports are formed along the wall of the housing, and a plurality of bleeder ports are formed on the bottom of the housing. The valve unit includes at least one regulating mechanism disposed within the housing. Each regulating mechanism includes an obstructing member operatively attached to a spring. The spring is compressible within a predefined range of fluid pressure. The obstructing member compresses the attached spring in response to fluid pressure acting thereon, opening the exit ports for fluid being drained. The spring-biased obstructing members facilitate self-adjustment for drainage flow. Although arranged in series, the range limits are not continuous with subsequent springs, which safeguards against transient spikes in fluid pressure and ensures independent compression of subsequent springs in response to the predefined limits of pressure for that spring.

主权项

1. A CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) shunt valve, comprising:
an elongate, hollow housing adapted to be attached to a catheter having a lumen defining a cross-sectional area, the housing having a fluid inlet end, a sidewall and a bottom; at least one exit port formed in the sidewall of the housing, the at least one exit port permitting fluid to drain through when in an open position; at least one bleeder port formed on the bottom of the housing, the at least one bleeder port permitting the fluid to flow through the bottom of the housing; and a valve unit disposed inside the housing, the valve unit having at least one regulating mechanism for opening the at least one exit port in response to fluid pressure acting thereon, each of the regulating mechanisms having an obstructing member blocking fluid flow through the housing and a compressible bias spring attached to the obstructing member, the compressible spring having a spring constant permitting compression of the spring within a predefined range of fluid pressure, the spring biasing the obstructing member to keep the at least one exit port in a closed position blocking fluid entering the fluid inlet end from exiting through the exit port until fluid pressure is within the predefined range, the spring being compressed to the open position when the fluid pressure is within the predefined range; wherein the valve unit provides pressure-sensitive, self-regulating drainage of CSF fluid in response to pressure of incoming fluid; wherein said obstructing members comprise discs; and at least a pair of elongated guide rails disposed inside said housing each said disc having at least a pair of notches disposed along a periphery thereof, the notches on each of said discs being slidably mounted to said guide rails for stable reciprocation within said housing.