Expandable Flow Restrictor for Aneurysm Neck Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally-invasive techniques for treating aneurysms, such as coil deposition, face challenges including coil herniation, migration, and rupture risk, and lack a device that can effectively restrict blood flow to aneurysms while maintaining normal flow through blood vessels.
Innovation Solution
An expandable spherical structure with an open frame and a flow-restricting face, formed from a closed loop of filament, which can collapse for delivery and expand at the treatment site to restrict flow to aneurysms or reinforce weaknesses in blood vessel walls, allowing for normal blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If coil deposition is used to treat aneurysms, then the aneurysm can be filled and rupture prevented, but coil herniation, migration, and rupture risk occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the flow-restricting function from the aneurysm sac itself and places it at the neck of the aneurysm using a flow restrictor device. This separates the flow restriction mechanism from the aneurysm body, preventing coil herniation while maintaining effective flow restriction to the aneurysm sac.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow restrictor acts as an intermediary device positioned at the aneurysm neck to control blood flow into the aneurysm sac. This intermediary structure provides stable flow restriction without requiring coils to be deposited within the aneurysm sac, thereby eliminating the risks of coil herniation and migration.
2Reliability
If a device is used to restrict blood flow to aneurysms, then flow to the aneurysm is reduced, but normal flow through the blood vessel may be obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The flow restrictor is designed with localized flow restriction at the aneurysm neck while maintaining patentability of the main blood vessel lumen. The device creates a controlled restriction point that directs flow away from the aneurysm sac without obstructing normal blood flow through the vessel, as the restrictor is positioned to affect only the aneurysm inlet.
3Reliability
If a device is deployed to treat an aneurysm, then the aneurysm is addressed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow restrictor device is segmented into distinct functional components: a flow-restricting element positioned at the aneurysm neck and a separate aneurysm sac. This segmentation allows for simpler device design and deployment compared to coil embolization, as the flow restrictor can be delivered as a single unit that requires no additional coil placement procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for making a device for causing thrombosis of an aneurysm, wherein said device comprises a single elastic filament configurable between (i) an elongated, substantially linear configuration, and (ii) a longitudinally-contracted, substantially three-dimensional configuration, said method comprising:providing a sheet of shape memory material;producing a single filament, two-dimensional interim structure from said sheet of shape memory material;mounting said single filament, two-dimensional interim structure to a fixture so that said single filament, two-dimensional interim structure is transformed into said longitudinally-contracted, substantially three-dimensional configuration; andheat treating said single filament, two-dimensional interim structure while it is mounted to said fixture so as to produce said device in its longitudinally-contracted, substantially three-dimensional configuration.