Development of a New Generation of Neurovascular Devices for the Treatment of Cerebral Bifurcation Aneurysms with the Fusiform Opathology: A Computational Approach

Cerebral aneurysm (CA) is an abnormal dilation of the cerebral arterial wall, which accounts for more than half a million deaths each year worldwide. Flow diverters (FDs) represent one method recently developed in treating CAs. Typically, they do not need coiling (releasing micro-coils within the aneurysm) and act purely to prevent substantial blood inflow into the aneurysm. In collaboration with Evasc Neurovascular Enterprises (Vancouver, Canada), whose area of expertise is developing novel CA therapies, we have developed a novel FD for the treatment of bifurcation CAs with fusiform-like properties involving the confluence of the main and daughter branches. To the best of authors’ knowledge, currently there is no device for an effective treatment of such complex aneurysms. Through a stepwise design modification process and utilizing CFD modeling, we have developed a new design for the Evasc FD (eCLIPs) with improved hemodynamics, which is characterized by more than 30% reduction in the aneurysm inflow and wall shear stress (WSS) for the new implant design over eCLIPs for this subset of aneurysms. The new device design, modified-design eCLIPs (MD-eCLIPs), can represent the only device available for the treatment of such CAs with fusiform pathology.