External programmer for magnetically-adjustable cerebrospinal fluid shunt valve

摘要

Adjusting the popping pressure of a surgically-implanted shunt valve of the type having one or more elements adapted to move under the influence of a magnetic field, by positioning an adjustment device in proximity to the implanted valve but external to the body, providing the adjustment device with a plurality of electromagnets, selectively energizing the electromagnets through a sequence of steps in which different ones of the electromagnets are energized at successive steps, selecting the sequence of energization and the orientation and strength of the electromagnets so that the elements in the implanted device are caused to move in response to the sequence of energization to thereby adjust the popping pressure.