Self-Expandable Stent Delivery for Flexible Cerebral Aneurysm Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for cerebral aneurysms, such as surgical techniques and existing stent-based approaches, are invasive, risky, or ineffective due to poor flexibility, rotational positioning, and inadequate flow blockage, particularly in small and tortuous cerebral blood vessels.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an expandable stent and a self-expandable delivery device, which includes a tubular mesh structure, is designed for minimally invasive deployment. The stent and delivery device are configured to be delivered through a microcatheter, allowing precise positioning and expansion to block blood flow into the aneurysm, with the stent's inner diameter increasing or decreasing along its length to fit various vessel geometries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical techniques are used to treat cerebral aneurysms, then effective treatment can be achieved, but the procedure becomes highly invasive with extended anesthesia time and high patient risk
Solution Approach 1:
The stent delivery system employs nested structures where the stent is contained within a delivery catheter, which itself is inserted through a guiding catheter into the cerebral vasculature. This nested arrangement enables minimally invasive access to the aneurysm site through peripheral arterial puncture, eliminating the need for craniotomy while maintaining treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a stent as an intermediary device that bridges the parent vessel and aneurysm sac. The stent acts as a flow diverter, redirecting blood flow away from the aneurysm while maintaining patency of the parent vessel, thereby achieving aneurysm occlusion without requiring direct surgical intervention on the brain
2Reliability
If traditional coils are used for aneurysm treatment, then flow blockage can be achieved, but the procedure requires multiple devices and has poor packing density
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is constructed with a segmented or mesh-like structure consisting of multiple struts or bars arranged in a pattern. This segmentation provides both structural support and flow disruption capabilities, achieving effective flow blockage while maintaining a single-device configuration that simplifies deployment compared to multiple coils
Solution Approach 2:
The stent serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support to the vessel wall, diverts blood flow away from the aneurysm, disrupts flow patterns within the aneurysm sac, and maintains parent vessel patency. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate devices into a single therapeutic agent
3Object-affected harmful factors
If stents are used to treat cerebral aneurysms, then minimally invasive treatment is possible, but the stents lack flexibility and rotational positioning capability in small tortuous vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is constructed using flexible materials such as shape memory alloys (e.g., Nitinol) or elastic polymers that can bend and conform to the tortuous geometry of cerebral vessels. The stent structure incorporates flexible struts or bars that can rotate and adapt to vessel curvature, enabling successful navigation and deployment in small, twisted vessels while maintaining minimal invasiveness
4Ease of manufacture
If the stent inner diameter is uniform, then manufacturing is simpler, but the stent cannot fit various vessel geometries including tapered cerebral vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The stent incorporates varying structural characteristics along its length to match the local geometry of cerebral vessels. The stent may feature tapered dimensions, varying strut densities, or changed cross-sectional shapes at different segments to conform to the natural tapering and curvature of blood vessels, while maintaining manufacturability through standardized fabrication processes
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables safe and effective treatment of cerebral aneurysms with improved flexibility and positioning, reducing the risk of complications and enhancing clotting within the aneurysm by providing adequate flow blockage without the need for multiple coils or additional vaso-occlusive devices.
Implementation Method 1
a self-expandable portion having proximal and distal ends. The proximal end of the self-expandable portion may be coupled to the elongate member at or near the distal end of the elongate member. The self-expandable portion includes a tubular mesh structure having a constrained state with an outer diameter OD1 that is configured for delivery through the lumen of the elongate tubular member, and an expanded state having an outer diameter OD2
Data Source
AI summary
Systems for completely or partially excluding an aneurysm from circulation of blood are described. In one embodiment, the system includes a microcatheter, a fully or partially self-expandable stent, and a delivery device configured to be deliverable together with the stent through a lumen of the microcatheter. The delivery device includes an elongate support member coupled to a self-expandable portion, which includes a tubular mesh structure having a compressed state and an expanded state. A distal portion of the self-expandable portion extends proximally from a distal end of the self-expandable portion and has a length having an expanded outer diameter that is equal to or greater than the self-expanded inner diameter of the stent. In some embodiments, the proximal end of the self-expandable portion is substantially non-expanded where it is coupled to the elongate support member.