Segmented Embolic Device Porosity Compliance Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional embolic devices achieve desired porosity at the expense of significant compliance, making them difficult to deliver through tortuous pathways and risking aneurysm rupture due to excessive pressure.
Innovation Solution
The embolic device features discrete porosity sections and compliance sections, with the latter being less material-intensive to enhance flexibility, allowing for a balance between porosity and compliance, including a mesh-screen segment with varying layer configurations and through-thickness perforations to optimize porosity and compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional embolic devices use braided wires or mesh structures to achieve desired porosity, then porosity is improved, but compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The embolic device is divided into multiple discrete sections along its length, with each section having distinct porosity characteristics. This segmentation allows different portions of the device to serve different functions: some sections provide high porosity for effective embolization while other sections provide lower porosity for enhanced compliance and flexibility during delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the embolic device are assigned different porosity qualities based on their specific functional requirements. The porosity is not uniform throughout the device but is locally optimized: high porosity in sections requiring blood flow control and low porosity in sections requiring flexibility and conformability to tortuous pathways.
2Ease of operation
If embolic device compliance is increased to facilitate delivery through tortuous pathways, then ease of operation is improved, but porosity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device structure is segmented into compliance-critical sections and porosity-critical sections. The compliance sections use fewer or thinner wires to enhance flexibility for navigating tortuous vasculature, while the porosity sections use denser wire configurations to achieve the required porosity for effective embolization when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
Compliance is enhanced locally in specific sections of the device where flexibility is most needed for delivery, rather than uniformly throughout the entire device. This allows the device to be stiff enough in porosity sections to maintain structural integrity and achieve desired porosity, while being flexible enough in compliance sections to navigate complex vascular pathways.
3Quantity of substance
If uniform porosity is maintained throughout the entire device length, then porosity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than maintaining uniform porosity throughout the entire device, the device is segmented into multiple sections with differentiated porosity characteristics. This reduces overall material requirements while maintaining effective porosity where needed, thereby reducing device complexity and improving compliance without sacrificing embolization effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
An embolic device for treating aneurysms or other vascular disorders may be more compliant than conventional devices, while still achieving desired porosity. In particular, the device may achieve the desired porosity only at discrete sections along the length of the device where such a porosity is required (e.g., sections that will block the neck of the aneurysm upon deployment). The remaining sections of the device can be configured to increase the device's compliance. For example, the remaining sections can be formed from less material than the sections with the desired porosity. In some instances, the sections with the desired porosity are formed from mesh-screen segments and the remaining sections are formed from coil segments. In some instances, the mesh-screen segments are configured to further enhance the device's compliance. For example, the mesh-screen segment can be formed from a layered structure that achieves greater compliance than conventional braided structures.