Effects of a Fluoroscopy Agent on Radio Opacity and Steering Performance of Pressure-Driven Steerable Micro Guidewire

This paper presents experimental results of effects of a fluoroscopy agent on the radio opacity and steering performance of the steerable micro guidewire. The guidewire is driven by internal pressure, and made of the silicone polymer mixed with the barium sulfate, BaSO₄, masterbatch. Steerable distal tips with different BaSO₄ densities up to 30 % are fabricated. The radio opacity is measured by comparing CT (computed tomography) numbers of the steerable distal tips. The steering performance is measured by the bending angle at particular internal pressures while being bent up to 180 0. Experiment results show that the radio opacity improves while the bending stiffness decreases as the concentration of the barium sulfate increases.