Biomaterials

Biography

Biography: Marcus Caine

Abstract

In vitro profiling using microfluidic models has become increasingly utilised in the evaluation of medical devices over the last 30 years. To evaluate the unique flow properties of embolic products, bespoke in vitro microfluidic test systems have been developed. A traditional issue associated with angiographic guided administration of embolic products has been visualising real-time vascular positioning post-delivery. This issue has been addressed with the development of a novel radiopaque beads. The fundamental physiochemical properties of these novel embolic agents have been presented by Duran et al 2016 [1]. However the flow properties and user handling considerations have not been fully compared to non-radiopaque embolics in vitro. This presentation will focus on the characterisation of novel radiopaque microspheres and the profiling methods that have aided in their development. It will also cover the specific advantages provided clinically through extensive in vitro profiling of flow distribution, CT visualisation and deliverability studies compared to in vivo distribution data. The flow properties of RO Bead in terms of final distal location have been shown to be comparable to DC Bead™ under a variety of in vitro tests and in vivo models however physiochemical properties inherent to the radiopacity functionality have been shown to alter the compressibility, suspension and interchannel packing characteristics in vitro. These physical properties have not been shown to influence the in vivo physical penetration end-points, administration user response or distribution pattern of representative sizes of either embolic in vitro.