ERC

Intracranial aneurysms are blood-filled bulges in brain arteries that affect about 2–6% of people and are increasingly found through routine imaging. Most never rupture, but rupture can be fatal. Current treatments such as coiling, stenting, or clipping are effective but risky and not suitable for all cases. 

Injectable biomaterials are a promising option for aneurysm treatment because they enable vessel healing and complete filling of the aneurysm. However, their use currently requires complex balloon protection, which increases the risk of vessel damage and aneurysm rupture. 

Therefore, we aim to develop a new strategy for confined treatment at the aneurysm site using fluid mechanics-based method. Our main goal is to use immiscible fluids to isolate brain aneurysms for localized intravascular treatments and embolization. 

We have shown, through both simulations and experiments, that an immiscible phase can be stably positioned at the neck of human aneurysm models to seal and isolate the aneurysm cavity, including in wide-neck cases. We further show precise, confined treatment through selective staining of cell nuclei within the aneurysm and hydrogel-based embolization in patient-specific models. 

Our study introduces a non-mechanical, fluid-based method for naturally isolating aneurysms, enabling precise and localized treatment. This concept holds promise for advancing fluid-driven therapies for cerebral aneurysms and other vascular diseases where site-specific treatment is especially important.