Methods and devices for noninvasive pressure measurment in ventricular shunts

摘要

The present invention is directed to a system and method for monitoring the intraluminal pressure in a ventricular shunt. The shunt may have one or more measurement nodes housing a pressure-sensitive body that changes dimensions in response to the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid within the lumen of the shunt. The change in the dimensions of the pressure-sensitive body may be measured transcutaneously using an ultrasonic transducer and processed using a processor to estimate the intraluminal pressure. The shunt may include one or more pressure-measurement nodes distributed along the length of the shunt to enable the detection of shunt occlusions and valve malfunctioning.