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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Neuronavigation and Laparoscopy Guided Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Insertion for the Treatment of Hydrocephalus
Published on: October 14, 2022
Hydrocephalus and Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts: Modes of Failure and Opportunities for Improvement
Julianne Jorgensen1, Corin Williams2, Alisha Sarang-Sieminski1
1Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
Hydrocephalus, an excess of brain fluid, is treated with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts. This overview highlights VP shunt failures and opportunities for biomedical engineers and physicians to improve treatments for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neurosurgery
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Hydrocephalus affects 0.5-4 per 1000 children, causing fluid buildup in brain ventricles.
- Untreated hydrocephalus can lead to severe cognitive, visual, and neurological impairments, and death.
- Current treatment involves ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of hydrocephalus and current VP shunt technology.
- To detail the common complications and modes of failure associated with VP shunts.
- To identify areas for collaboration between biomedical engineers and physicians to enhance shunt performance.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of hydrocephalus and VP shunt technology.
- Analysis of VP shunt complications including infection, obstruction, and malfunction.
- Identification of research and development opportunities for improved shunt design and function.
Main Results:
- VP shunts are the primary treatment but are prone to complications like infection, obstruction, and drainage issues.
- Modifications to shunts and surgical techniques have yielded only modest improvements.
- Numerous opportunities exist for innovation in shunt technology and collaborative research.
Conclusions:
- VP shunt complications significantly impact patient outcomes.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for advancing hydrocephalus treatment.
- Targeted engineering solutions can address current limitations in VP shunt efficacy and safety.
Abstract:
Between 0.5 and 4 of every 1000 children are born with hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is an over-accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain, which can affect cognitive function, vision, appetite, and cranial nerve function. Left untreated, hydrocephalus can result in death. The current treatment for hydrocephalus uses ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts with valves to redirect CSF from the ventricles into the peritoneum. Shunt technology is limited by a number of complications, which include infection after implantation, shunt obstruction due to clot formation or catheter obstruction by scar tissue or choroid plexus, disconnection and tubing migration, and overdrainage or underdrainage of CSF due to valve malfunction. While modifications to surgical procedures and shunt design have been introduced, only modest improvements in outcomes have been observed. Here we provide an overview of hydrocephalus, VP shunts, and their modes of failure, and we identify numerous areas of opportunity for biomedical engineers and physicians to collaborate to improve the performance of VP shunts.
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