A radionuclide method of evaluating shunt function and CSF circulation in hydrocephalus

Abstract

A simple technique for the evaluation of shunt function and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation in hydrocephalic patients is described. The method utilizes clearance rates of a radionuclide tracer injected into the lateral ventricle via an indwelling frontal catheter which is separate from the shunt apparatus. This permits an accurate assessment of drainage of ventricular CSF via the shunt, or the patency of normal or alternative CSF pathways where the shunt is malfunctioning.