Project Description:
An aneurysm is a weak or thin spot on an artery in the brain that balloons or bulges out and fills with blood. This can lead to pressure on the nerves or brain tissue, rupture, hemorrhagic stroke, brain damage, coma, or death. Each year in the United States, 6.7 million people suffer from intracranial aneurysms. In 30,000 of these patients, the aneurysm eventually ruptures and causes bleeding in the brain. The current standard of care for treating aneurysms is microvascular clipping with titanium clips. The clips are surgically placed around the neck of the aneurysm to inhibit blood flow. There are several limitations regarding this treatment method. Surgeons often have difficulty placing clips accurately, as the titanium material is opaque and therefore obstructs the view of the surgical site. This can lead to potential poor placement of the clips and increase the risk of postoperative complications such as aneurysm recurrence, aneurysm rupture, and vessel occlusion with consequent stroke. The titanium clips also show up as artifacts on MRI and CT angiograms when examining the patient’s brain post-operation. This makes it difficult for the doctor to see if the inhibition of blood flow to the aneurysm was successful. To address these issues, our team has developed a transparent aneurysm clip with similar closing force and geometry as the current standard of care clips. Our clips have high optical clarity, allowing over 99% of light to pass through and enabling surgeons to resolve details as small as 44 microns. This allows for improved surgeon visibility, increasing the procedure's success and reducing the risk of complications. Furthermore, our clips minimize MRI or CT angiogram artifacts, improving the clarity of postoperative blood vessel imaging. Based on these findings, our clips have a significant impact that will benefit both patients and clinicians.
