Hydrocephalus is a common pediatric disease occurring at a rate of about 0.7 cases per thousand in most developed countries and at an even higher rate in developing countries. This condition occurs due to a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain and leads to enlargement of the ventricles and an increase in intracranial pressure.

Instead of placing a shunt to drain the fluid, more recent treatment has involved brain endoscopic procedures with the purpose of removing the blockage or bypassing the blockage within the brain. One of the most common brain endoscopic procedures is the endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). While this procedure has seen a success rate of over 80% in infants, reaching a suitable location in the third ventricle for penetration in an ETV procedure can be difficult.

The rigid nature of the endoscope requires a linear pathway from the scalp and through the brain parenchyma down to the level of the third ventricular floor. This linear pathway must bypass important blood vessels, functional areas, and cranial nerves to avoid hemorrhaging. Further complicating the issue is that the brain anatomy is often distorted due to the disease process. Because of all these restrictions, finding an optimal linear pathway may not always be possible. Georgia Tech’s steerable endoscopic tool assembly helps surgeons avoid those obstacles for ETV as well as other endoscopic procedures.