View clinical trials related to Hydrocephalus.
Filter by:The specific aim of the research proposal in preterm infants with IVH and PHH who require placement of an Omaya reservoir or a shunt is to determine if decreasing ventricular volume improves, middle cerebral artery flow, cerebral oxygenation, and cortical neuronal electrical activity. To accomplish this aim, we will simultaneously perform the following evaluations prior to shunt placement or prior to and after routine CSF aspiration from reservoir in: 1. middle cerebral artery velocity time integral and resistive index using Doppler ultrasonography 2. cerebral oxygenation using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) 3. background neuronal electrical activity using an EEG. In addition, we will measure serial CSF concentration of neuroproteins, S100B, GFAP, NSE, TGF-ß, and IL-6, as evidence of ongoing neuronal damage and correlate the concentration with cerebral perfusion and activity as measured above.
The purpose of the study is to determine whether an ultrasound of the eye can be used as a radiation-free alternative to X-ray to identify children with risk of shunt failure in the Emergency Department. Please note that a shunt is an artificial or natural channel running between two other channels.2. Briefly summarize how participants are recruited.
This study aims to provide class 1 evidence supporting or refuting the existence of normal pressure hydrocephalus.
In all the Western populations, the annual incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) increase with age. In patients older than 70 years, the occurrence of SAH exposes them to high risk of morbidity and a poor quality of life. In this age bracket, the single randomized which compared endovascular coiling to microsurgical clipping (ISAT Study) showed that the relative risk of morbidity increased after coiling. Moreover, some prospectives studies about endovascular coiling described favorable outcome in 48% to 63% of patients, complete occlusion in 51% to 69% and a procedural complication rate in 13% to 19%. From prospectives series, the proportion of favorable outcome after microsurgical clipping was estimated around 66% but the procedural complications are few reported. The outcome for patients treated conservatively was catastrophic. Lastly, the hydrocephalus in this age class is common, occurring in 55% of patients. The study hypothesis is that, in this age class, no difference exists between the 2 obliteration procedures. An accurate evaluation of result in term of functional disability, quality of life and prognosis predictive factors seems a judicious question.
The Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) has been established by philanthropic funding to conduct multi-institutional research (clinical trials and observational studies) on pediatric hydrocephalus. In addition to philanthropic funding, the HCRN has also received an NIH NINDS Challenge Grant to support the network infrastructure which allows for the conduct of this and other network studies. The HCRN consists of multiple Clinical Centers and the Data Coordinating Center (DCC). The HCRN Core Data Project will obtain data about all neurosurgical hydrocephalus events from the network Clinical Centers, and create a database to be used by HCRN investigators. The ongoing maintenance of the Core Data Project serves two main purposes: 1) it will help investigators understand the variability, progression, and current treatment practices for hydrocephalus in children, with an ultimate goal of better guiding and assessing therapeutic intervention and providing recommendations on patient care and, 2) it will provide pilot and descriptive data necessary for hypothesis generation and study design (i.e. preliminary power analyses, recruitment projections) for studies under development by the HCRN. This multi-institutional database will be maintained throughout the lifetime of the HCRN, and may be useful for tracking trends in pediatric hydrocephalus over time. The Core Data Project will be an invaluable resource to the HCRN and will help stimulate new research protocols, identify potential need for future expansion of the network to incorporate additional patient populations, and provide a descriptive understanding of children with hydrocephalus cared for within the network.
The purpose of this study is to study whether infants with triventricular hydrocephalus (TVH) have a better long-term outcome at 5 years when they are treated with a new procedure, endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), than infants treated with the more traditional treatment, insertion of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt.
The study hypothesis is that a transit-time ultrasonic sensor can help doctors diagnose a malfunctioning shunt valve. The study will simulate an implanted shunt flow monitoring system by placing the flow sensor and a programmable shunt valve into the patient's Extra-Ventricular Drainage line. Flow will be measured as the doctor raises/lowers the drainage bag to simulate the patient sitting up/lying down. The doctor will simulate a malfunctioning shunt by changing the valve's pressure release settings for each cycle of raising/lowering the bag. By monitoring shunt flow during these changes, the doctors hope to develop new ways to diagnose malfunctioning shunt valves when implanted shunt flow monitors become available.
The study hypothesis is that an ultrasonic flow sensor can accurately measure flow in hydrocephalic shunts. The ultrasonic sensor will measure cerebro-spinal fluid drainage in hydrocephalus patients with external ventriculostomies and extra-ventricular drainage systems. The sensor measurements will be compared with the volume of fluid collected by the drainage bag. After a 24-hour measurement period, the doctor will change the drainage bag position to simulate the patient sitting up and leaning back, to see if this temporarily stops flow through the drainage line. This data will show whether the sensor accurately measures typical drainage flows seen in hydrocephalus patients. This research will help develop an implantable flow monitor for pediatric hydrocephalus patients.
The study hypothesis is that nurses and doctors can use a transcutaneously powered ultrasonic flow sensor to make repeatable and accurate hydrocephalic shunt flow measurements. The study participants will align the flowmeter probe with a flow sensor hidden under a thick saline pad that simulates skin. A hidden pump will provide a known flow through the flow sensor as the participants make their measurements. Each participant will repeat these measurements over a period of weeks, and the data will tell whether operator skill influences flow measurement accuracy.
The research project is designed to determine which combination of tests will enable physicians to predict whether a patient with symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) will improve with a shunt.