PUMP study: reservoir pumping in suspected underdrained shunted patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus – a prospective single-center study
Uwe Kehler · 2025
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Description
Uwe Kehler reported a 2025 prospective study of a simple pumping test for brain shunts. Patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus often improve little after shunting, or slip back later. One cause is underdrainage, where the shunt removes too little fluid. Pumping the shunt's flushing reservoir by hand can withdraw fluid without surgery, offering a gentler check than invasive tests.
The study enrolled 25 shunted patients in whom underdrainage was suspected. One hundred pumps removed about 20 milliliters of fluid, and walking was checked ten minutes later. Eleven patients improved at once, and more improved over the following week. The test was well tolerated, with only brief headache or dizziness in a few. In nineteen cases it let doctors skip invasive testing.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Uwe Kehler |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 22 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |