Changes in The Pressure-Flow Control Characteristics of Shunt Valves Under Brain Pressure Pulsation

뇌압 펄스하에서 션트밸브의 압력-유량제어 특성곡선의 변화

Shunt valves implanted in the subcutaneous tissue of brain to treat patient with hydrocephalus were numerically simulated to investigate influence of pressure pulsation on their flow control characteristics. Shunt valves are subjected to pressure variation since ventricles enclosing the brain are under pressure pulsation rather than uniform pressure due to blood pressure variation. We modeled flow orifice through shunt valve and imposed pulsating pressure and valve diaphragm movement to compute flow through the valve. The results of our study indicated that flow rate increased by $40{\%}$ by introducing pressure pulsation and diaphragm movement on the shunt valve. Our results demonstrate the pressure-flow control characteristics of shunt valves unplanted above human brain may be quite different from the characteristics obtained by syringe pump test with uniform pressure and no diaphragm movement.