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Transcutaneous telemetry of cerebrospinal fluid shunt programmable-valve pressure using near-infrared (NIR) light

  • US 8,057,422 B2
  • Filed: 01/20/2009
  • Issued: 11/15/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A programmable valve system of the type which is implanted in a medical patient and used to divert a quantity cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from an intraventricular space of the patient to a terminus cavity;

  • said system including means for establishing a flow path for the CSF to the terminus cavity, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting a pressure setting of the normally closed valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted;

    an improvement enabling an observer to be apprised of the pressure setting, comprising;

    (a) a transmitting means, implantable in the medical patient, responsive to the pressure setting, for generating a (near infrared) NIR telemetry signal and indicative of the pressure setting, for transcutaneous transmission through the skin of the medical patient to an external point; and

    (b) a receiving means positionable externally of the medical patient, for receiving the NIR telemetry signal at the external point and for producing therefrom observer intelligible data indicating the pressure setting;

    wherein the transmitting means comprises;

    a NIR emitter emitting a NIR light beam;

    a mirror reflecting a first portion of the NIR light beam as a reflected light beam and transmitting a second portion of the NIR light beam as a transcutaneous light beam carrying the telemetry signal;

    an optical encoder positioned on the normally closed valve to encode the pressure setting into the reflected light beam as an encoded light beam;

    a first photodetector detecting the encoded light beam; and

    ,an electronic circuit, connected to the photodetector, modulating the NIR emitter at an output frequency in proportion to the pressure setting as detected from the encoded light beam;

    wherein the receiving means comprises;

    a display device; and

    ,a second photodetector detecting the transcutaneous light beam;

    a frequency detector, connected to the second photo detector, detecting the output frequency;

    a microprocessor, connected to the frequency detector, for determining the pressure setting based on the output frequency.

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