Guidable wire to aid brain surgery

A wire with a guidable tip that makes it easier for neurosurgeons to navigate the dense network of cerebral arteries and get to the source of strokes has been developed by EPFL spin-off Artiria.

The system has just received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test and market this system.

Following the brain’s arterial network paths with a wire – which is just a third of a millimetre in diameter and enters the body through the femoral artery – to reach an obstructed blood vessel can be tricky even for neurosurgeons.

For example, if they want to point the wire in a different direction, they often have to pull the instrument out and then reinsert it, lengthening surgery times and increasing the risk of complications.

The wire tip developed by Artiria can be controlled by pressing a button on its handle, through an apparatus that runs entirely on mechanical forces, thus tackling some of these challenges.

The surgical act, facilitated by the real-time visualisation of the instruments by x-rays, makes it possible to extract the clot mechanically.

The wire serves as a guide so that the other instruments needed for the operation can be inserted.

The founders’ goal was to develop a device that would fit in seamlessly with existing procedures. 'We were able to get the FDA clearance so quickly because our wire is similar to existing ones in so many respects,' says Artiria founder Guillaume Petit-Pierre.

He continues: 'These micro-cuts, just a few tens of microns in size, are made from a superplastic alloy, ensuring the necessary flexibility of the wire tip while avoiding injury to the arterioles of the brain.' 

The two founders plan to launch a more substantial funding round in the coming months, the proceeds of which will be used to expand its seven-person team and validate the product's clinical use.