A steerable catheter that could aid neurosurgeons in navigating through blood vessels and arteries in the brain has been developed by a team of engineers and physicians from the University of California San Diego.

According to an article on techxplore.com, this device is a first and could make a huge difference to neurological surgery, including procedures that treat brain aneurysms. 

Currently, curved-tip guidewires that take the catheter to its desired region in the brain are common practices during surgery in this field. However, once the guidewire is removed, the catheter sometimes doesn’t offer much in the way of flexibility and often reverts back to a straight shape, thus making it a difficult task to hone in on the aneurysm and distribute platinum coils to block blood flow to it. Essentially, these platinum coils help to prevent a rupture and a potential brain bleed.

This custom-designed catheter has the capability to steer and take 180 degree turns should a neurosurgeon need to.

“As a neurosurgeon, one of the challenges that we have is directing catheters to the delicate, deep recesses of the brain,” said Dr. Alexander Khalessi, who is chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at UC San Diego Health. 

“Today’s results demonstrate proof of concept for a soft, easily steerable catheter that would significantly improve our ability to treat brain aneurysms and many other neurological conditions, and I look forward to advancing this innovation toward patient care.”

The catheter is bio-inspired, gaining influences from elephant trunks, insect legs and flagella, which are threadlike structures that allow bacteria to swim.