Key points from today’s guests:

Dr. Koji Ebersole, director, Endovascular Neurosurgery, The University of Kansas Health System

• A new, less invasive eShunt procedure is being studied for patients who have difficulty walking due to normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition that mimics dementia.
• NPH is an excess of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation in the skull, leading to symptoms resembling dementia.
• An eShunt re-establishes natural fluid resorption by communicating CSF space with venous space. It’s a complex procedure with a small anchor and tubular system.
• John Kyger is the first person west of the Mississippi River to get an eShunt. The procedure recently took place at The University of Kansas Health System, one of just 12 trial sites across the nation.
• If you are having symptoms as you age that are happening at a higher rate than your peers, raise the question with your doctor. If a diagnosis is made, you can have a very meaningful improvement in your quality of life.

Dr. Charles Matouk, chief, Neurovascular Surgery, Yale New Haven Health; lead principal investigator for this trial

• NPH is underdiagnosed and it may affect up to 100,000 people in the U.S.
• NPH is relatively uncommon, but symptoms can mimic dementia or other ailments.
• The eShunt device is being studied to treat hydrocephalus without drilling a hole in the skull.
• A decade of effort and testing is required to gain FDA approval for the device.
• Trial enrollment is part of the FDA approval process.
• After the trial, the data will be reviewed by the FDA, and it may take at least a year for the device to be approved for use.
• We are tremendously honored that this medical center is participating in this trial.

Monday, Dec. 9 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. A mother’s advice on a second opinion leads to catching cancer early and inspiring a new career.

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