Galarza Marcelo, Giménez Angel, Pellicer Olga, Valero José, Amigó José M
Regional Department of Neurosurgery, "Virgen de la Arrixaca" University Hospital, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.
Operations Research Centre, University Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2016 Jan;158(1):109-15; discussion 115-6. doi: 10.1007/s00701-015-2618-y. Epub 2015 Nov 3.
To drain the excess of cerebrospinal fluid in a hydrocephalus patient, a catheter is inserted into one of the brain ventricles and then connected to a valve. This so-called ventricular catheter is a standard-size, flexible tubing with a number of holes placed symmetrically around several transversal sections or "drainage segments". Three-dimensional computational dynamics shows that most of the fluid volume flows through the drainage segment closest to the valve. This fact raises the likelihood that those holes and then the lumen get clogged by the cells and macromolecules present in the cerebrospinal fluid, provoking malfunction of the whole system. In order to better understand the flow pattern, we have carried out a parametric study via numerical models of ventricular catheters.
The parameters chosen are the number of drainage segments, the distances between them, the number and diameter of the holes on each segment, as well as their relative angular position.
These parameters were found to have a direct consequence on the flow distribution and shear stress of the catheter. As a consequence, we formulate general principles for ventricular catheter design.
These principles can help develop new catheters with homogeneous flow patterns, thus possibly extending their lifetime.
为了引流脑积水患者多余的脑脊液，需将一根导管插入脑室之一，然后连接到一个阀门。这种所谓的脑室导管是一种标准尺寸的柔性管道，在几个横向截面或“引流段”周围对称分布着许多小孔。三维计算动力学表明，大部分液体通过最靠近阀门的引流段流动。这一事实增加了这些小孔以及管腔被脑脊液中存在的细胞和大分子堵塞的可能性，从而引发整个系统的故障。为了更好地理解流动模式，我们通过脑室导管的数值模型进行了参数研究。
所选择的参数包括引流段的数量、它们之间的距离、每个段上小孔的数量和直径，以及它们的相对角位置。
发现这些参数对导管的流动分布和剪切应力有直接影响。因此，我们制定了脑室导管设计的一般原则。
这些原则有助于开发具有均匀流动模式的新型导管，从而可能延长其使用寿命。
