Endovascular cerebrospinal fluid shunt

1. An apparatus comprising

a shunt for draining cerebrospinal fluid from a subarachnoid space of a patient, said shunt being an endovascularly implantable shunt having opposed first and second ends, said first end being constructed to pass through a wall of a dural venous sinus of said patient,

a hollow passageway extending between said second end and said first end such that cerebrospinal fluid can be drained through said second end and into a location in a venous system of the patient, and

a shielding mechanism coupled to said shunt, said shielding mechanism being and sized and configured to shield a portion of said shunt from surrounding brain parenchyma tissue within said subarachnoid space.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding mechanism includes an umbrella-shaped member configured to be positioned within said subarachnoid space.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding member comprises a screen configured to be positioned within said subarachnoid space.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding mechanism is configured to transition into a predefined shape for deployment into said subarachnoid space from a collapsed state in which said shielding mechanism is loaded into a delivery catheter that is endovascularly guided to a desired location and passed through a wall of said dural venous sinus and into said subarachnoid space.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding mechanism is configured to be mechanically opened by a surgeon operating a delivery catheter in which said shielding mechanism has been loaded while in a collapsed shape thereof, wherein mechanically opening said shielding mechanism causes deployment of said shielding mechanism within said subarachnoid space following endovascular delivery thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding mechanism comprises nickel and titanium.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding mechanism is configured to automatically revert to a deployment shape.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shielding mechanism comprises multiple filaments that cooperate to inhibit brain parenchyma from occluding said hollow passageway.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second end further comprises a drainage tube that is connected to said first end, wherein, following delivery of said shunt, said drainage tube extends into or along an internal jugular vein of said patient.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second end further comprises a drainage tube that is connected to said first end, wherein, following delivery of said shunt, said drainage tube extends along a blood vessel of said patient and is separated from a wall of said blood vessel by a distance that is sufficient to prevent incorporation of said drainage tube into said wall.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second end further comprises a drainage tube that is connected to said first end, wherein, following delivery of said shunt, said drainage tube extends sufficiently to reach a superior vena cava and a right atrial junction of said patient.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shunt is a first of a plurality of shunts, all of which are implanted in a dural venous sinus adjacent to each other.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shunt is coated with heparin.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising balloon and a catheter having a distal end coupled to said balloon, said catheter having a lumen, wherein said shunt is disposed within said lumen and wherein said balloon transitions into an expanded state to partially occlude said dural venous sinus, thereby suppressing flow of blood through said dural venous sinus.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an asymmetric balloon, wherein said shunt is disposed within a catheter having said asymmetric balloon disposed at a distal end thereof, wherein inflation of said asymmetric balloon stabilization drives said catheter away from being centered in a blood vessel during endoscopic delivery of said shunt.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said shunt comprises a drainage tube, said apparatus further comprising a drainage catheter and a receptacle coupled to said drainage catheter, wherein said receptacle is connected to said drainage tube of said shunt.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a shunt for draining cerebrospinal fluid from a subarachnoid space of a patient, said shunt being an endovascularly implantable shunt having opposed first and second ends,

a hollow passageway extending between said second end and said first end such that cerebrospinal fluid can be drained through said second end and into a location in a venous system of the patient, and

a shielding mechanism coupled to said shunt, said shielding mechanism being and sized and configured to shield a portion of said shunt from surrounding brain parenchyma tissue within said subarachnoid space.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said shielding mechanism is configured to transition into a predefined shape for deployment into said subarachnoid space from a collapsed state in which said shielding mechanism is loaded into a delivery catheter that is endovascularly guided to a desired location and passed through a wall of said dural venous sinus and into said subarachnoid space.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the second end further comprises a drainage tube that is connected to said first end, wherein, following delivery of said shunt, said drainage tube extends into or along an internal jugular vein of said patient.

20. A method comprising accessing a dural venous sinus in a patient, creating an opening between said dural venous sinus and a subarachnoid space of said patient, causing a first end of a shunt to enter said subarachnoid space while a second of said shunt remains in a location in a venous system of the patient, deploying a shielding member around said first end of said shunt, whereby cerebrospinal fluid drains from said subarachnoid space and into the venous system.