Biomedical Devices Using Shape Memory Polymer Foams for Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms

Abstract

This paper presents a novel medical device developed using shape memory polymer (SMP) foams for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms (ICAs). The SMP foam is fabricated, characterized, and experimentally investigated to better understand their potential for endovascular embolization of ICAs. Polyurethane-based SMP is successfully synthesized and characterized. The SMP foam is manufactured using cast molding, and characterized using an electro-thermal triggering mechanism to fully understand their shape recovery capability. The successful completion of this work will serve as a solid foundation for the development of new biomedical devices to treat intracranial aneurysms and develop an optimal releasing procedure for future animal study.