Medical Dictionary

LeVeen shunt

noun Le·Veen shunt \ lə-ˈvēn-ˈshənt \

medical Definition of LeVeen shunt

: a plastic tube that passes from the jugular vein to the peritoneal cavity where a valve permits absorption of ascitic fluid which is carried back to venous circulation by way of the superior vena cava

Biographical Note for leveen shunt

LeVeen, Harry Henry (1914–1996), American surgeon. LeVeen served as professor of surgery at the State University of New York and later at the Medical University of South Carolina. His major areas of research included vascular surgery, liver physiology, and portal circulation. Experimental testing of the LeVeen shunt was first done using animals in 1972. Use of the LeVeen shunt on human beings began in 1976.