Ventriculo-venous shunt device for treatment of hydrocephalus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DRAINING CEREBRIOSPINAL FLUID INTO THE CIRCULARTORY SYSTEM COMPRISING A RESILIENT CONDUIT; CATHETER MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE PROXIMATE END OF SAID CONDUIT TO A SOURCE OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID; TUBULAR MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE DISTAL END OF SAID CONDUIT TO A POINT OF DISCHARGE IN THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM HAVING A MEAN HYDRAULIC PRESSURE LESS THAN THAT AT THE SOURCE OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID; A PLURALITY OF NORMALLY OPEN CHECK VALVES ENCAPSULATED BY SAID CONDUIT IN LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, SAID VALVES BEING ADAPTED TO PERMIT FLOW FROM PROXIMATE TO DISTAL END OF SAID CONDUIT BUT TO PREVENT COUNTER-FLOW; EACH OF SAID NORMALLY OPEN CHECK VALVES COMPRISING A TUBE OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION, OPEN AT ITS INLET END, THE OUTLET END BEING PROVIDED WITH OVERLAPPING FLAPS BETWEEN THE FACES OF WHICH IS A FLOW PASSAGE LEADING FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID TUBE TO THE EXTERIOR THEREOF, SAID PASSAGE BEING NORMALLY OPEN BUT CAPABLE OF BEING SEALED UPON THE EXISTENCE OF A HIGHER PRESSURE WITHOUT SAID TUBE THAN WITHIN IT, SAID SEALING OCCURRING BY VIRTUE OF JUXTAPOSITION OF THE FACES OF SAID FLAPS.