A type of shunt that is used to drain cerebrospinal fluid from the cerebral ventricular system in the brain to the atrium of the heart.  It is an one of the alternative shunt options sometimes used when the more traditional ventriculoperitoneal shunts may be contraindicated, such as when a patient may have scarring or an infection in the abdomen.  It is sometimes also used when a ventriculoperitoneal shunt has persistently failed.