{"id":38517,"date":"2025-03-13T13:21:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/?p=38517"},"modified":"2025-03-19T17:33:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:33:33","slug":"the-latest-research-on-shunt-occlusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/the-latest-research-on-shunt-occlusion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest Research on Shunt Occlusion"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><br \/>Shunts are crucial medical devices used to treat hydrocephalus by diverting excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) away from the brain. However, they are prone to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/complications-of-shunt-systems\/\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"5e8f8cf0d4f6e391de55d8ee\">complications<\/a> and they often malfunction or fail. One of the primary reasons for these malfunctions is <b>occlusion<\/b>, or blockage, which can prevent the shunt from effectively draining CSF.<\/p>\r\n<h3><b>Why is this important?<\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<p>Understanding the cause of occluded catheters is key to improving shunt systems and brings hope that future designs will offer more reliable treatments, improving the quality of life for individuals with hydrocephalus and reducing the need for frequent surgeries.<\/p>\r\n<h3><b>Shunt Occlusion<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<p>Shunt occlusion occurs when there is a partial or complete blockage within <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/shunt-systems\/\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"5e8f8cf0d4f6e391de55d8ee\">the shunt system<\/a>, disrupting the flow of CSF. Blockages can occur in various parts of a shunt, including the <b>proximal<\/b> <b>ventricular catheter<\/b> (which is inserted into the brain) and the <b>distal catheter<\/b> (which drains CSF to another part of the body, like the abdomen).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shunt-occlusion-1-600x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"387\" height=\"387\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shunt-occlusion-2-277x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"186\" height=\"403\"><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>Occlusions are typically caused by blood cells, tissue, debris, or even bacteria blocking the shunt. When this happens, CSF can accumulate in the brain, increasing pressure, and potentially triggering symptoms of untreated hydrocephalus, such as headaches, nausea, and cognitive difficulties.<\/p>\r\n<h3><b>New Research on Shunt Occlusion<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<p>A<a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11656718\/\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"5e8f8cf0d4f6e391de55d8ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> 2024 study by Dr. Maria Garcia-Bonilla and colleagues<\/a> sheds new light into shunt occlusion, revealing how blockages can form from clumps of blood cells, proteins, or other debris. The research explores whether the type or cause of hydrocephalus (such as posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus, myelomeningocele, brain tumor, or others) increases the likelihood of shunt failure due to occlusion.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0The study revealed several key points:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Proximal catheter occlusion<\/b>, or blockage in the portion of the shunt located in the brain, accounted for <b>90.4%<\/b> of shunt revisions in the study.<\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cell or tissue clumps<\/b> were found in <b>76.8%<\/b> of the cases where shunts were removed due to a blockage. These clumps can block the drainage holes in the catheter, preventing the proper flow of CSF.<\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\">\u00a0Shunt failure and tissue clumps were not linked to the<b> type or cause of hydrocephalus (etiology)<\/b>. This suggests that an individual&#8217;s risk of shunt failure is not influenced by their hydrocephalus diagnosis.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><b><i>Occlusion can affect anyone<\/i><\/b><i>, regardless of the underlying cause of their hydrocephalus, and most frequently occurs in the proximal catheter of the shunt.<\/i><\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Occluded_catheter-600x291.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"291\"><\/p>\r\n<p>Click the dropdown\u00a0to view images of occluded shunts that have been removed from patients, courtesy of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healinghydrocephalus.com\/\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"5e8f8cf0d4f6e391de55d8ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harris Lab<\/a>. Please be advised that these images contain tissue and blood.<\/p>\r\n<p><a id=\"fl-accordion--label-0\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#\" aria-controls=\"fl-accordion--panel-0\">Occluded Shunt Images<\/a> <a id=\"fl-accordion--icon-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"#\"><i title=\"Expand\">Expand<\/i><\/a><\/p>\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Occluded-shunt-Sample-1-600x338.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><\/td>\r\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Occluded-shunt-Sample-3-600x338.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Occluded-shunt-Sample-4-600x338.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><\/td>\r\n<td><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Occluded-shunt-Sample-7-600x338.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3><b><br \/>Partial Blockages Can Lead to Shunt Failure<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<p>Another notable finding from this study is that shunt failure due to <b>occlusion can occur when as little as<\/b> <b>20-40% of the catheter holes become blocked<\/b>. This means that the shunt does not need to be completely blocked in order for it to malfunction. Even partial blockages can slow or halt the flow of CSF, leading to the need for medical intervention and, in some cases, shunt revision.<\/p>\r\n<h3><b>Improving Shunt Technology<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<p>Although shunt malfunctions due to occlusion remain a challenge, there is hope for the future. Engineers, scientists, and medical companies are tirelessly working on innovations to improve shunt design. Advances in <b>coatings for catheters<\/b> and <b>optimized catheter hole designs<\/b> are being explored to help prevent occlusion and minimize the likelihood of tissue buildup. These improvements aim to enhance the durability of shunts, reduce the frequency of blockages, and decrease the risk of infection, leading to better long-term outcomes for people living with hydrocephalus.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Hydrocephalus Association is committed to advancing innovative shunt research that can improve treatment. In 2018, Dr. Carolyn Harris received the Innovator Award for her visionary work on the &#8220;Development of Shunt Catheters that Resist Occlusion.&#8221; This project explored a new shunt coating designed to prevent cells from attaching to the shunt (<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/jbm.b.34780\" data-feathr-click-track=\"true\" data-feathr-link-aids=\"5e8f8cf0d4f6e391de55d8ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Al Saloum et al., 2020<\/a>). Unlike previous coatings, this innovative approach specifically blocks the mechanism by which the cells attach to the shunt, potentially reducing occlusion and improving long-term effectiveness. This research marks a significant advancement in the effort to enhance shunt treatments and patient outcomes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n            <div id=\"daexthefup-container\"\r\n                 class=\"daexthefup-container daexthefup-layout-stacked daexthefup-alignment-center\"\r\n                 data-post-id=\"38517\">\r\n\r\n                <div class=\"daexthefup-feedback\">\r\n                    <div class=\"daexthefup-text\">\r\n                        <h3 class=\"daexthefup-title\">Was this resource helpful?<\/h3>\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n                    <div class=\"daexthefup-buttons-container\">\r\n                        <div class=\"daexthefup-buttons\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n            <div class=\"daexthefup-yes daexthefup-button daexthefup-button-type-text\" data-value=\"1\">\r\n                <div class=\"daexthefup-button-text\">Yes<\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n            <div class=\"daexthefup-no daexthefup-button 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surgeries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":38525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_helpful_pro_status":1,"_searchwp_excluded":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,1129,40,1207],"tags":[1221,1231],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-38517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ha-blog","category-from-the-association","category-research-updates","category-resources","tag-research-updates","tag-treatment-complications"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Ayana-SYS-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38517"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=38517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}