Jung Tae-Mi, Nairuz Tahsin, Kim Chang-Hyun, Lee Jong-Ha
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Keimyung University, Daegu 42601, Republic of Korea.
Department of Neurosurgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Daegu 42601, Republic of Korea.
Biosensors (Basel). 2025 Mar 6;15(3):170. doi: 10.3390/bios15030170.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been extensively utilized in cardiovascular diagnostics due to its high resolution, rapid imaging capabilities; however, its adaptation for cerebrovascular applications remains constrained by the narrow, tortuous anatomical structure of cerebral vessels. To address these limitations, this study introduces a cerebrovascular-specific OCT (bOCT) catheter, an advanced adaptation of the cardiovascular OCT (cOCT) catheter, with significant structural modifications for improved access to brain blood vessels. The bOCT catheter incorporates a braided wire within a braided tube, strategically reinforcing axial strength. The distal shaft was reconfigured as a single-lumen structure, facilitating unified movement of the rotating fiber optic core and guidewire, thereby reducing guidewire bending and augmenting force transmission stability. Additionally, the anterior protrusion was removed and replaced with a dual-lumen configuration, significantly enhancing lesion accessibility. The bOCT catheter's performance was validated in a 3D physical model and an animal model, demonstrating pronounced enhancements in flexibility, pushability, and navigability. Notably, the pushability through curved flow paths significantly improved, enhancing access to cerebral blood vessels. Therefore, this innovation promises to revolutionize cerebrovascular diagnostics with high-resolution imaging suited to the complex brain vasculature, setting a new standard in intravascular imaging technology.
光学相干断层扫描（OCT）因其高分辨率、快速成像能力而在心血管诊断中得到广泛应用；然而，其在脑血管应用中的适应性仍受到脑血管狭窄、曲折的解剖结构的限制。为了解决这些限制，本研究引入了一种脑血管特异性OCT（bOCT）导管，这是心血管OCT（cOCT）导管的一种先进改进型，对结构进行了重大修改，以改善对脑血管的 access。bOCT导管在编织管内包含一根编织线，从战略上增强轴向强度。远端轴重新配置为单腔结构，便于旋转光纤芯和导丝统一移动，从而减少导丝弯曲并增强力传递稳定性。此外，去除了前部突出部分，代之以双腔配置，显著提高了病变可达性。bOCT导管的性能在三维物理模型和动物模型中得到验证，显示出在柔韧性、可推性和可导航性方面有显著增强。值得注意的是，通过弯曲流动路径的可推性显著提高，增强了对脑血管的 access。因此，这项创新有望通过适用于复杂脑脉管系统的高分辨率成像彻底改变脑血管诊断，为血管内成像技术树立新的标准。
