Patent ID: 7621878

Claim:
An implant for monitoring intracranial cerebral spinal fluid pressure of a subject, comprising: a pressure transducer having a deflectable membrane separating a reference chamber and a local intracranial pressure chamber, the local intracranial pressure chamber in fluid communication with a shunt to receive cerebral spinal fluid, wherein a deflection of the deflectable membrane indicates a pressure differential between the reference chamber and the local intracranial pressure chamber, the deflection being measured by a strain measurement means, the pressure transducer configured to generate a signal representing the measured deflection; a system controller coupled to the pressure transducer, the system controller including a processor configured to receive and process the generated signal and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit said processed signal; a power source coupled to the system controller and configured to power said system controller, wherein the power source includes an energy storage device and an inductive coil; and a single housing adapted to fully enclose the pressure transducer, the system controller, the energy storage device and the inductive coil and sized to be fully implanted at a single location surrounding the shunt within a head of said subject, wherein the inductive coil is configured to receive inductive power from an inductive power source positioned outside the single housing, the inductive power source operable to induce current in said inductive coil to recharge the energy storage device and power the system controller.