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STARS-kids (Seeking Techniques Advancing Research in Shunts) is a group of parents and shunted individuals striving to ensure a brighter future for shunted children!
Shunts consist of a valve and catheter tubing surgically implanted in the brain or spinal column to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and reroute it to another location in the body. |
 Shunts are the preferred treatment for hydrocephalus (water on the brain).
Hydrocephalus is caused by a blockage or obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid that fills cavities (ventricles) inside the brain and bathes the surface of the brain.
Hydrocephalus may be caused by: bleeding of the brain due to premature birth, spina bifida, structural malformation (congenital), meningitis, head trauma, cysts and tumors (acquired).
Approximately one of 500 children is afflicted with hydrocephalus.
Adult onset hydrocephalus symptoms mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Shunts are mechanical systems that may malfunction, break or become sites of infection, tissue growth, or blockages, all of which require neurosurgical procedures to correct.
Many shunted persons have had multiple corrective neurosurgeries due to a 50% malfunction rate within a five-year period.
In a local survey taken on our committee, 18 shunted children have collectively undergone nearly 900 neurosurgeries!
Shunt research projects are being designed to mimic natural flow of CSF in the brain and improve quality of life for shunted persons.
For more information, link to web-sites listed on the home page. |
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