Magnetically assisted soft milli-tools for occluded lumen morphology detection.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37585531.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adi3979 and PMC identifier 10431716.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Methodologies based on intravascular imaging have revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of endovascular diseases. However, current methods are limited in detecting, i.e., visualizing and crossing, complicated occluded vessels. Therefore, we propose a miniature soft tool comprising a magnet-assisted active deformation segment (ADS) and a fluid drag-driven segment (FDS) to visualize and cross the occlusions with various morphologies. First, via soft-bodied deformation and interaction, the ADS could visualize the structure details of partial occlusions with features as small as 0.5 millimeters. Then, by leveraging the fluidic drag from the pulsatile flow, the FDS could automatically detect an entry point selectively from severe occlusions with complicated microchannels whose diameters are down to 0.2 millimeters. The functions have been validated in both biologically relevant phantoms and organs ex vivo. This soft tool could help enhance the efficacy of minimally invasive medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of occlusions in various circulatory systems.