An in vitro membranous arterial model based on individual information for intravascular neurosurgery

An in vitro soft membranous model replicating individual human cerebral artery for intravascular neurosurgical simulation, preclinical testing, and testing of medical devices is presented. This anatomically accurate arterial model is constructed using individual information obtained by medical imaging. With its soft membranous structure having some physical simulation accompanied with deformation of arterial structure is realized. In this report, we also present a production methodology for this membranous arterial model. With this methodology, arteries with very complicated or high aspect structures are precisely reproducible. As a further development, we also present a solid elastic arterial model having partial membranous structure and surrounding vacant space, which replicates subarchnoid space. As the presented arterial model is compatible with current major imaging modalities such as CT, MRA and TCD, it should prove useful for a wide range of applications, such as hemodynamic study and radiological investigations, as well as surgical simulations.