Toward the Development of a Shape Memory Polymer for Individualized Endovascular Therapy of Intracranial Aneurysms Using a 3D-Printing/Leaching Method

Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms (ICA) aims to occlude the aneurysm space to prevent ICA growth/rupture. Modern endovascular techniques are still limited by relatively low complete occlusion rates, frequently leading to aneurysm growth, rupture, and reoperation. Herein, shape memory polymer (SMP)-based embolic devices are proposed to advance the effectiveness of ICA therapy by facilitating individualized ICA occlusion. Specifically, a 3D-printing/leaching method for the fabrication of 3D-SMP devices that can be tailored to patient-specific aneurysm geometries obtained from computed tomography angiography is developed. It is demonstrated 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. Endovascular therapy for intracranial aneurysms suffers from a lack of effectiveness in achieving complete occlusion. Herein, the development of a method for the fabrication of patient-specific embolic materials using a combination of 3D printing and leaching is presented. This method is a step forward toward the development of individualized endovascular therapies that can provide immediate complete occlusion.image (c) 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH