{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,11]],"date-time":"2026-07-11T21:58:51Z","timestamp":1783807131249,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Scientific Scholar","content-domain":{"domain":["surgicalneurologyint.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"st1\"><jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title><jats:p>Ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPSs) have been the mainstay of treating hydrocephalus since the 1950s. However, shunts have a reported complication rate reaching nearly 50%. Devices have been developed that utilize noninvasive thermal transcutaneous diffusion technology. These shunt evaluation devices measure temperature gradients to detect shunt cerebrospinal fluid flow. We assessed the utility using a thermal diffusion technique to work up shunt failure in the emergency room (ER).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"st2\"><jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title><jats:p>This was a retrospective case series at a single medical center ER. We included consecutive patients with possible VPS malfunction who were evaluated with a thermal sensor. The time period of data collection included September 2015\u2013April 2018.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"st3\"><jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title><jats:p>Eight patients were reviewed, including four males and four females. The average age of reviewed patients was 35.1 (+\/\u2212 ; 16.5). In our case series, three patients had adequate shunt flow as assessed by the shunt evaluation device, and the decision was made to discharge the patient and follow-up in clinic. In two patients, the flow was diminished, but due to other reassuring signs, the patients were still discharged with follow-up. Two patients were noted to have poor flow and were admitted for shunt revision.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"st4\"><jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title><jats:p>It is important to determine whether a malfunction is present and whether an intervention is necessary for patients who present to the emergency department with possible symptoms of shunt failure. A thermal sensor is a fast and noninvasive tool in the evaluation of shunt flow and helps determine whether it is safe to send a patient home or intervene appropriately.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.25259\/sni_324_2019","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,27]],"date-time":"2019-12-27T09:30:09Z","timestamp":1577439009000},"page":"254","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25259\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Noninvasive thermal evaluation for shunt failure in the emergency room"],"prefix":"10.25259","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Jordan","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, California,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cassie","family":"Poole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, California,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ronald","family":"Sahyouni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jefferson","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, California,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"10894","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1007\/s101430050035","article-title":"The scientific history of hydrocephalus and its treatment","volume":"22","author":"Aschoff","year":"1999","journal-title":"Neurosurg Rev"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"254","DOI":"10.1159\/000120968","article-title":"Epidemiology of cerebrospinal fluid shunting","volume":"23","author":"Bondurant","year":"1995","journal-title":"Pediatr Neurosurg"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"303","DOI":"10.1055\/s-2008-1059661","article-title":"A technique for evaluation of CSF shunt patency using telethermography","volume":"12","author":"Caldarelli","year":"1981","journal-title":"Neuropediatrics"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"363","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1985.62.3.0363","article-title":"Thermosensitive determination of obstructed sites in ventriculoperitoneal shunts","volume":"62","author":"Chiba","year":"1985","journal-title":"J Neurosurg"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"700","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1980.52.5.0700","article-title":"Thermosensitive determination of CSF shunt patency with a pair of small disc thermistors","volume":"52","author":"Chiba","year":"1980","journal-title":"J Neurosurg"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"875","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1992.77.6.0875","article-title":"Shunt implantation: Reducing the incidence of shunt infection","volume":"77","author":"Choux","year":"1992","journal-title":"J Neurosurg"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01405517","article-title":"A thermosensitive device for the evaluation of the patency of ventriculo-atrial shunts in hydrocephalus","volume":"19","author":"Go","year":"1968","journal-title":"Acta Neurochir (Wien)"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1093\/neuros\/nyy246","article-title":"Noninvasive thermal evaluation of ventriculoperitoneal shunt patency and cerebrospinal fluid flow using a flow enhancing device","volume":"85","author":"Hameed","year":"2019","journal-title":"Neurosurgery"},{"key":"10.25259\/SNI_324_2019\/ref-9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.3171\/jns.1989.70.1.0143","article-title":"Thermosensitive determination of patency in lumboperitoneal shunts. 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