Towards the development of a shape memory polymer for individualized endovascular therapy of intracranial aneurysms...

Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms (ICA) aims to occlude the aneurysm space for preventing ICA growth/rupture. Modern endovascular techniques are still limited by lower complete occlusion rates, frequently leading to aneurysm growth, rupture and re-operation. In this work, we propose shape memory polymer (SMP)-based embolic devices that could advance the effectiveness of ICA therapy by facilitated individualized ICA occlusion. Specifically, we develop an 3D-printing/leaching method for the fabrication of 3D-SMP devices that can be tailored to patient-specific aneurysm geometries that are obtained from computed tomography angiography. We demonstrate that this method allows the fabrication of highly porous, compressible foams with unique shape memory properties and customizable microstructure. In addition, the SMP foams exhibit great shape recovery, anisotropic mechanical properties, and the capability to occlude in-vitro models with individualized geometries. Collectively, this study indicates that the proposed method will have the potential to advance the translation of coil- and stent-free embolic devices for individualized treatment of saccular ICAs, targeting complete and long-term durable aneurysm occlusion.