New Technology for Laser Ablation of Blocked Shunts
  Drs. McAllister, Sood, Ham, in collaboration with Dr. Mohammed Islam (University of Michigan Department of Mechanical Engineering), have started a laser-ablation study to “clean out” shunts that are blocked with tissue. Dr. Islam has developed a unique laser that can prevent “collateral” damage to tissue and NOT damage the silastic (silicone) wall of a shunt. Thus, it may be possible to insert the tiny fiber optic laser into a shunt or embed it into the wall of the shunt. From this position we expect the laser to “burn” out debris that has blocked CSF flow, and avoid surgical removal of the shunt. We are pleased that the first phase of this project has been funded by the Michigan Universities Commercialization Initiative, and further support in 2005 has come from the STARS Support Group.