A Framework for an Implantable Wireless Pressure and Volume Sensor Focusing on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Shunt Failure in Hydrocephalus Patients

• Main Author: Wichern, Donald Monte
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2006
• Subjects: hydrocephalus; brain; wireless; sensor; impedance; Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/351; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1350&context=etd

The framework for a permanently implantable wireless compliance sensor was developed and validated using laboratory experiments. The proposed sensor would measure the intracranial pressure and fluid volume in the brain and return this information to a monitoring device. The designed sensor received power remotely from the monitoring device negating the need for an implanted power source. Impedance measurement estimation techniques were suggested, studied and applied to the compliance sensing system. A new impedance measurement technique, accounting for multiple variability in the domain, was developed. An extensive simulation environment was designed and used to develop the laboratory experiments and hardware. The laboratory experiments validated the theory and simulation, proving the concept. Future work was suggested including the next step in the design process and possible research directions for subsequent theses.