Cellular Obstruction Clearance in Proximal Ventricular Catheters Using Low-Voltage Joule Heating.

Objective: Proximal obstruction due to cellular material is a major cause of shunt failure in hydrocephalus management. The standard approach to treat such cases involves surgical intervention which unfortunately is accompanied by inherent surgical risks and a likelihood of future malfunction. We report a prototype design of a proximal ventricular catheter capable of noninvasively clearing cellula...