The Technology
Aneurysm are blood filled saccular lesions located on bends and bifurcations of arteries. Cerebral aneurysms, for example, occur in about 5% of the population where 0.2% rupture with a mortality rate of nearly 50% . The available treatment can be either interventional or observation. In the last decade there has been an advancement in filling glues and clot inducing drugs. However, any material that directly injected into the aneurysmal cavity is prone to systemic spreading increasing the risk of thrombosis. Furthermore, complete occlusion of the aneurysm cavity using these techniques is difficult and often fails due to non-compatible anatomical features. The technology enables injection of immiscible fluid into a blood vessel having an aneurysm cavity with a narrow enough neck to trap fluid inside the cavity by the formation of a meniscus on the cavity neck. Thus, allowing a localized treatment of the aneurysm/cavity. The technology may offer a method to locally occlude the aneurysm (via thrombosis, glue, other.) as well as deliver a localized drug treatment.
Advantages
- Complete seal of cavity
- Previously unreachable cavities can be easily reached
- Independent on catheter flexibility/size
- Existing devices can be modified to inject the surface tension agent
Applications and Opportunities
- Cerebral aneurysm occlusion
- Any cavity can be isolated and material delivered to it without systemic spreading
- Magnetically Guiding of electrically charged immiscible fluid phase through blood vessels
- Other cavities can be targeted such as in aortic and renal aneurysms
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