Uncloggable ventriculoperitoneal shunt system for hydrocephalus via an integrated soft robotic device: CLEARS device.

Yau C Yun, David R Santiago-Dieppa, Minghao Li, Aditya Vasan, Alexander Khalessi, James Friend

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Biomedical microdevices, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yau C YunMedically Advanced Devices Laboratory, Center for Medical Devices and Biomechanics, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering and Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0411, USA.

David R Santiago-DieppaDepartment of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.

Minghao LiMaterials Science and Engineering Program, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.

Aditya VasanMedically Advanced Devices Laboratory, Center for Medical Devices and Biomechanics, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering and Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0411, USA.

Alexander KhalessiDepartment of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.

James FriendMedically Advanced Devices Laboratory, Center for Medical Devices and Biomechanics, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering and Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0411, USA. jfriend@ucsd.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt obstruction, often caused by protein and fat accumulation at the ventricular catheter ports, impedes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow, increases intracranial pressure (ICP), and leads to hydrocephalus. Current treatments require invasive shunt removal, reimplantation, or retrograde flush cleansing. We present a next-generation VP shunt system that actively removes blockages via external actuation. Our system, called CLogging Elimination ActuatoR Silicone (CLEARS), integrates a soft, expandable silicone tube within the catheter lumen. This soft robotic insert, capable of 900% strain, can inflate to dislodge blockages and then deflate to restore flow. To test CLEARS, we developed an ex vivo model simulating CSF flow and obstruction using a rapidly acting clogging agent. ICP upstream of the catheter was monitored to evaluate performance. When obstructed with 3 g of the clogging agent, ICP rose to 30 cmH[Formula: see text]O. Upon CLEARS activation, the silicone insert expanded through catheter ports and successfully removed the clog, restoring baseline ICP (∼0 cmH[Formula: see text]O) within approximately 40 s. Without the system, obstruction persisted and pressure remained elevated. Visual documentation confirmed the mechanism of action. The CLEARS system offers a promising solution to VP shunt occlusion by enabling non-invasive mechanical declogging. Our model replicates shunt obstruction and CSF dynamics, providing a testbed for device evaluation. The expandable insert maintained catheter flow and reduced ICP to normal levels after obstruction, representing a potential shift in how hydrocephalus is treated.

Indexed as

HydrocephalusRoboticsVentriculoperitoneal ShuntAnimalsEquipment DesignHumansIntracranial PressureSiliconesSiliconesCatheterCerebrospinal fluid (CSF)ObstructionShuntSoft microdevices

Identifiers

PMID40932553

DOI10.1007/s10544-025-00769-8

PMCPMC12426090

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.