Optimal microcatheter shaping method customized for a patient-specific vessel using a three-dimensional printer

OBJECTIVE: In coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms, it is very important to guide microcatheters to the appropriate location in the aneurysm and stabilize them during procedures. To do this, microcatheters need to be properly shaped. In this study, we aim to use a computer application program and a three-dimensional (3D) printer to make a patient-specific shaped microcatheter. METHODS: We simplified, skeletalized, and oversized the existing 3D vascular imaging structures and created the central line structure of the blood vessels. These processes were performed using a computer application program developed by our team. The microcatheters were shaped according to the skeletalized data shape, and the catheterization procedures were simulated using the 3D hollow model of the blood vessel region of interest; the number of hollow models was 10. The compatibility of the microcatheters shaped according to the skeletalized data shape was validated if the microcatheter tip was positioned into the aneurysm. RESULTS: In all 10 hollow models, the positioning of the microcatheter into the aneurysms was successful following one or two attempts. CONCLUSIONS: When shaping microcatheters during endovascular coil embolization, it may be useful to use central line structures with some expansions customized for a patient-specific vessel using a computer application program and a 3D printer. In the future, it may be necessary to apply this technique to actual patients.