What is an Ommaya reservoir?
- An intraventricular catheter device called an Ommaya reservoir is used to aspirate CSF and/or administer chemotherapy into the CSF.
- It consists of a catheter in a lateral ventricle linked to a reservoir that is inserted behind the scalp.
- A CSF flow study using a radionuclide cisternogram should be carried out before beginning intrathecal chemotherapy via an Ommaya reservoir in order to identify any areas of congestion that would prevent the chemotherapy from being circulated throughout the CSF.
- By reversing the aberrant flow, radiation treatment applied to the blocked sites can enhance the effectiveness of intrathecal chemotherapy.
