- Shunt
- : 1) To move a body fluid, such as cerebrospinal fluid, from one place to another. 2) A catheter (tube) that carries cerebrospinal fluid from a ventricle in the brain to another area of the body. A shunt may be placed to relieve pressure from hydrocephalus, for example.
* * *1. To bypass or divert. 2. A bypass or diversion of fluid to another fluid-containing system by fistulation or a prosthetic device. The nomenclature commonly includes origin and terminus, e.g., atriovenous, splenorenal, ventriculocisternal. SEE ALSO: bypass. [M.E. shunten, to flinch]- arteriovenous s. (A-V s.) the passage of blood directly from arteries to veins, without going through the capillary network.- Blalock s. subclavian artery to pulmonary artery s. to increase pulmonary circulation in cyanotic heart disease with decreased pulmonary flow.- cavopulmonary s. SYN: cavopulmonary anastomosis.- Denver s. a tube placed subcutaneously that connects the abdominal cavity in a patient with ascites to the low pressure superior vena cava. Not only does this s. have a one-way valve but also a manually compressible chamber to facilitate flow.- distal splenorenal s. anastomosis of the splenic vein to the left renal vein, usually end-to-side, for control of portal hypertension. SYN: renal-splenic venous s., Warren s..- Glenn s. SYN: cavopulmonary anastomosis.- H s. a side-to-side s. between adjacent vessels that uses a connecting conduit; this s. is most commonly placed between the superior mesentary vein and the inferior vena cava in patients with portal hypertension. SYN: H graft.- jejunoileal s. SYN: jejunoileal bypass.- left-to-right s. a diversion of blood from the left side of the heart to right (as through a septal defect), or from the systemic circulation to the pulmonary (as through a patent ductus arteriosus).- LeVeen s. a subcutaneously placed tube with an inline one-way valve used to transport ascitic fluid from the abdomen, via the jugular vein, to the superior vena cava.- mesocaval s. 1. anastomosis of the side of the superior mesenteric vein to the proximal end of the divided inferior vena cava, for control of portal hypertension; 2. H-s. anastomosis of the inferior vena cava to the superior mesenteric vein, using a synthetic conduit or autologous vein.- peritoneovenous s. a s., usually by a catheter, between the peritoneal cavity and the thoracic central venous system.- pleuroperitoneal s. a surgically implanted catheter for transport of fluid from a pleural space into the peritoneal cavity, where it is absorbed; used mainly for treatment of malignant pleural effusions.- pleurovenous s. a surgically implanted catheter for transport of fluid from a pleural space into the venous system; rarely used, mainly for treatment of malignant pleural effusions.- portacaval s. 1. surgical anastomosis between portal and systemic veins; 2. surgical anastomosis between the portal vein and the vena cava.- portasystemic s. a s. between any parts of the portal and systemic venous systems, including portacaval, mesocaval, splenorenal shunts or spontaneously occurring shunts.- proximal splenorenal s. anastomosis of the proximal end of the cut splenic vein to the side of the left renal vein for control of portal hypertension; this is considered a central or complete visceral venous s..- Rapoport-Luebering s. part of the glycolytic pathway characteristic of human erythrocytes in which 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-P2Gri) is formed as an intermediate between 1,3-P2Gri and 3-phosphoglycerate; 2,3-P2Gri is an important regulator of the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen.- reversed s. right-to-left s. that had previously been a left-to-right s.; rarely the opposite.- right-to-left s. the passage of blood from the right side of the heart into the left (as through a septal defect), or from the pulmonary artery into the aorta (as through a patent ductus arteriosus); such a s. can occur only when the pressure on the right side exceeds that in the left, as in advanced pulmonic stenosis, or when the pulmonary artery pressure exceeds aortic pressure, as in one form of Eisenmenger syndrome or in tricuspid atresia.- Scribner s. connection of an artery, customarily the radial, to the cephalic vein via a short extracorporeal catheter.- Torkildsen s. a ventriculocisternal s.. See s. (2).- tracheoesophageal s. See tracheoesophageal puncture.- transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic s. (TIPS) an interventional radiology procedure to relieve portal hypertension.- Waterston s. creation of a narrow (about 3 mm) opening between the ascending aorta and the subjacent right pulmonary artery to increase pulmonary circulation in cyanotic heart disease with decreased pulmonary flow.
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shunt 'shənt vt to divert by or as if by a shunt esp to divert (blood) from one part to another by a surgical shuntshunt n1) a passage by which a bodily fluid (as blood) is diverted from one channel, circulatory path, or part to another esp such a passage established by surgery or occurring as an abnormality <an arteriovenous \shunt>b) a device (as a narrow tube) used to establish an artificial shunt <plastic \shunts have been used to bypass temporarily sections of major arteries (Johnson McGuire & Arnold Iglauer)>* * *
n.a passage connecting two anatomical channels and diverting blood or other fluid (e.g. cerebrospinal fluid) from one to the other. It may occur as a congenital abnormality (as in septal defect of the heart) or be surgically created. See also anastomosis.* * *
(shunt) 1. to turn to one side; to divert or bypass. 2. a passage or anastomosis between two natural channels, especially between blood vessels; it may be formed either physiologically (e.g., to bypass a thrombosis), or by a structural anomaly. 3. a surgically created anastomosis. 4. the operation of forming such an anastomosis.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
