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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Dept. of Health & Human Services
InventorsEdward Wellner, Maria Michejda, Gary D. Hodgen
Estimating the term…
A hydrocephalic drainage valve consisting of a hollow shank with a pointed conical tip. The shank has an intake port adjacent the conical tip. A ball check valve in the shank is urged by a coiled spring toward closing relationship with the port. A hollow set screw is adjustably mounted in the shank to vary the biasing force on the valve ball. In one form, for manual implantation, a sleeve is slidably mounted on the shank, has a centrally apertured enlarged head and has implantation enlarged threads near the head. The head has aligned opposite radial grooves which are engageable by a manual insertion tool. In other forms, for pneumatic insertion, the shank has an enlarged head, employed as a driving piston in a pneumatic insertion tube. A washer member with implantation barbs is slidably mounted on the shank and is arranged to be locked to the shank subjacent the head responsive to the pneumatic driving action, with its barbs embedded in the fetal skin around the implantation puncture, thus holding the shank in operating position with the intake port exposed in the cranial vault.
A hydrocephalic drainage valve for in utero treatment of hydrocephalic fetuses comprising a hollow valve element shank with a pointed conical tip adapted to penetrate the skull of a fetus in utero, said shank having an intake port upwardly adjacent to said conical tip, a ball check valve in the hollow of said shank, spring means above said ball check valve and urging said ball check valve toward said intake port, a hollow set screw adjustably mounted in said shank above said spring means to vary the biasing force on said ball check valve, and means adjustable along said shank for operatively securing the shank in an implanted position in a fetal head with the intake port exposed in the cranial vault thereof whereby when fluid in the fetal cranium exceeds a predetermined amount, it drains therefrom through said drainage valve into the uterus.
A drainage valve for in utero relief of pressure from hydrocephalic fluid in the cranial cavity of a fetus, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.