![Imaging the Effects of Hydrocephalus Shunts]()
Hydrocephalus, a chronic condition in which excess fluid builds up in the brain, is treated with a fluid-draining tube called a shunt. Although shunts do save lives, their long-term effects on the brain are unknown. Mark E. Wagshul, Ph.D., and colleagues at Montefiore used an advanced MRI method called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to scan the brain’s white matter tracts (important structures that send electrical signals between parts of the brain)and determine the possible impacts of shunting on 21 hydrocephalus patients and 21 healthy controls. The study, published online on January 19 in Journal of Neurosurgery, found marked impairment of the major white matter tracts even in patients whose hydrocephalus was well-controlled with shunts. The results suggest DTI could be a valuable tool for tailoring treatments or developing new therapies for hydrocephalus. Dr. Wagshul is associate professor of radiology and is an assistant professor of physiology & biophysics at Einstein.
Posted on: Friday, February 16, 2018