A 6-fr guiding catheter (slim guide(®)) for use with multiple microdevices. An experimental study

Area of Science:

• Interventional Neuroradiology
• Medical Device Engineering

Background:

• Treating wide-necked aneurysms often requires advanced techniques due to limitations of standard microcatheter methods.
• A modified technique using specialized guiding catheters is crucial for complex neurovascular interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility of a newly developed 6-French guiding catheter, Slim Guide®, designed with a large lumen (0.072 inch) for modified endovascular techniques.
• To compare the performance of Slim Guide® against existing guiding catheters in terms of physical properties and microdevice compatibility.

Main Methods:

• Comparative experimental study involving three 6-French guiding catheters: Slim Guide®, Launcher®, and Envoy®.
• Assessment of shaft hardness, kink resistance, maximal infusion pressure, and microdevice passage resistance.
• Evaluation of microdevice combinations, particularly for double microsystems, during simulated coil embolization procedures.

Main Results:

• Slim Guide® demonstrated comparable kink resistance to other catheters despite a softer shaft.
• Maximal infusion pressure was significantly lower with Slim Guide® compared to Launcher® and Envoy®.
• Slim Guide® showed significantly higher compatibility with microdevice combinations (95.1%) compared to Launcher® (87.4%) and Envoy® (81.1%), especially for double microsystems.

Conclusions:

• The Slim Guide® guiding catheter, with its larger inner diameter, significantly enhances the range of microdevices usable for coil embolization of complex wide-necked aneurysms.
• This device offers improved procedural options and potentially better treatment outcomes in challenging neurovascular cases.