There was nothing wrong with the old ones. This may be true for wheels but not when it comes to the treatment of hydrocephalus . It wasn't until the 1960s, with the development of implants. Apart from technical advances in structure and shape, the concept has remained the same. The problems associated with shunts haven't changed either.
Shunts still fail mechanically, block, overdrain and infect.
Very little can be done on this front and if shunts were kitchen appliances, the manufacturers would recall them. There is an alternative which is endoscopic third ventriculostomy. In the 1980s endoscopic instruments were purpose-built for neurosurgery and an increasing number of applications were found. Currently in our department two or three neuroendoscopies are performed per week for a variety of indications, mostly for the treatment of hydrocephalus but also in tumour surgery. Endoscopic ventriculostomy, which means opening the floor of the brain using a miniaturised telescope, was one of the first applications.