Occlusion Microcatheter With Balloon-Guided Embolic Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing embolization catheters face challenges in effectively delivering embolic materials to targeted vessels while minimizing unintended flow and ensuring precise vessel occlusion, particularly in treating vascularized tumors or lesions.
Innovation Solution
The embolization catheter features an elongate body with dual lumens, an expandable member, and a flow restriction mechanism, allowing controlled delivery and redirection of embolic materials, with a valve member to prevent backflow and a balloon for temporary vessel occlusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a catheter is made larger to deliver embolic particles, then particle delivery capability is improved, but vessel perforation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple segments including a compressible shaft, an occlusion balloon, and a distal tip with reservoir. The compressible shaft can be collapsed to reduce the catheter profile for safe vessel navigation, then expanded to deliver embolic particles. This segmentation allows the catheter to have different functional states (compressed for delivery, expanded for embolization) without permanently increasing vessel perforation risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter employs dynamic structures including an expandable occlusion balloon and a compressible shaft that can transition between compressed and expanded states. The shaft's compressibility allows it to be collapsed during navigation to minimize vessel interaction, then expanded at the target site to deliver particles. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction by making the catheter size adaptive rather than fixed.
2Ease of operation
If a catheter is made more flexible to navigate tortuous vessels, then navigability is improved, but catheter stability during embolization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft transitions from a flexible compressed state during navigation to a stable expanded state during embolization. The expandable occlusion balloon provides stabilization when inflated, anchoring the catheter in place. This dynamic transformation allows the catheter to be flexible when needed for navigation and stable when needed for particle delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter employs nested structures where the occlusion balloon and particle delivery system are contained within the shaft. When the balloon is inflated, it expands outward to provide stability while the shaft remains in place. This nesting allows the catheter to maintain flexibility for navigation while providing stability during the embolization procedure through the expanded balloon structure.
3Area of stationary object
If embolic particles are delivered systemically, then treatment coverage is improved, but non-target embolization and stroke risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The occlusion balloon serves as an intermediary device that temporarily blocks blood flow in the target vessel. By inflating the balloon, the system creates a localized environment where embolic particles are contained within the target vessel and prevented from traveling systemically. This intermediary structure enables controlled local delivery while preventing harmful systemic distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter system enables localized particle delivery by containing embolic particles in a reservoir at the distal tip and releasing them at a specific target location. The occlusion balloon further localizes the effect by blocking off-target flow paths. This local quality approach ensures particles are delivered only to the intended target area rather than distributing systemically, preventing stroke while maintaining effective treatment coverage.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Devices used to deliver a substance within a patient's body are disclosed. The devices may include a microcatheter configured to deliver the substance to a targeted site. The microcatheter may include an expandable member to temporarily restrict blood flow in a vessel, a flow restriction member to restrict flow of material out a distal end of the microcatheter, and a port disposed proximal of the expandable member.