RETHINKING HYDROCEPHALUS CARE
Living with Hydrocephalus deserves a better answer.
For decades, the standard of care has remained largely unchanged, while patients, caregivers, and clinicians continue to face the same frustrating limitations. We think it's time to change that.
THE CONDITION
Fluid that should flow, doesn't.
Hydrocephalus occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up faster than the body can absorb it. The pressure can cause serious, lifelong neurological consequences affecting people of all ages.
A condition that affects people of all ages, newborns, children, adults, and the elderly. It is one of the most common neurological conditions in the world, and one of the least
talked about.
More common than most people realise
Hydrocephalus affects an estimated 1 million Americans, with more than 36,000 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surgeries performed nationwide every year. Yet awareness and meaningful treatment progress remain limited.
Cognitive and developmental effects
In children, untreated or poorly managed hydrocephalus can affect cognitive development, learning, and long-term quality of life in profound ways.
Persistent headaches and nausea
Increased intracranial pressure often causes chronic, debilitating headaches.
THE PROBLEM WITH CURRENT TREATMENT
A surgical implant from the 1950's is still the primary solution.
The ventricular shunt, a thin tube implanted in the brain to drain excess fluid was first used in the 1950's. It remains the most common treatment for hydrocephalus today. The problem? It fails, often, and with serious consequences.
High and unpredictable failure rates
Up to 50% of shunts fail within two years, often requiring emergency surgery with no warning.
No visibility into what's happening
Patients and clinicians have almost no real-time information about how a shunt is performing. Symptoms are only a signal.
A lifetime of repeated surgeries
The average patient with childhood hydrocephalus will undergo many shunt revisions over their lifetime, each carrying the risks of open brain surgery.
Anxiety becomes a constant companion
Patients and families live in a state of ongoing uncertainty, never knowing if a headache signals a shunt failure or a bad day. That burden is immense and rarely acknowledged.
Alternatives have barely moved the needle
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) works for some patients, but isn't suitable for all, and still provides no ongoing monitoring or adjustment.
Innovation has largely passed this space by
Compared to other serious neurological conditions, Hydrocephalus has received remarkably little attention from medical device developers.
A DIFFERENT WAY FORWARD
Kitea Health is designing what's next.
We believe hydrocephalus patients deserve treatment that
gives them and their physicians more information and
more confidence in everyday life.
The Kitea System is designed to address the limitations
that have defined this space for too long.
Currently there is no way to know what’s happening inside
the brain outside of a hospital setting. We have developed
a small implantable pressure sensor that could change
that, putting data in the hands of patients, families and
the clinicians who care for them.