and aid in the selection of a shunt opening pressure for a shunt to be implanted in the patient while the illustrated display shows outflow resistance and pressure volume index values and exemplary methods for calculating and using these values are described below the invention described herein is not limited to this choice of parameters or particular methods of calculation pressure sensor component 12 can be programmed to calculate other pressure based parameters and also to calculate the aforementioned parameters in ways other than those disclosed herein in fact clinicians or researchers could develop new parameters to more accurately diagnose nph or other fluid system abnormalities the analysis of which using the systems and methods described herein is believed to fall within the present invention in one embodiment of the present invention pressure sensor component is programmable so as to allow a user to program the calculation of the user 39 s own preferred parameters or to carry out the calculations using the user 39 s preferred methods of calculation further information relating to the relationship between csf abnormalities and pressure related parameters can be found in shapiro k marmarou a shulman k characterisation of clinical csf dynamics and neural axis compliance using the pressure volume index annals of neurology 7 6 508 514 june 1980 which is incorporated herein by reference the resting pressure p o can provide.