Magnetic Control of Intravascular Collaborative Robotic (Cobot) Guidewire: Neurovascular Intervention Studies in Phantom and Swine Models

Abstract

Strokes such as acute ischemic stroke require vascular access for endovascular thrombectomy. To navigate the small and complex cerebral vessels with multiple branches, clinicians use guidewires or catheters with pre-shaped tips. However, complex procedures still face the problem of increased X-ray exposure for both clinicians and patients. Engineering technologies such as robotic guidewires and catheters are being applied to neurovascular procedures to make them faster and more effective. The technology presented in this study involves Collaborative Robotic (Cobot) guidewires that can be steered by magnetic fields to effectively enter the target vessel and navigate complex blood vessels. The Cobot guidewire can be steered according to the direction of the magnetic field because its tip contains a permanent magnet and a magnetic polymer. The magnetic field for steering the Cobot guidewire can be controlled and generated by electromagnetic control systems (ECS). In this study, the performance of neurovascular procedures using the Cobot guidewire and manual guidewire is compared in both phantom and swine models. Based on various parameters, the Cobot guidewire demonstrates superior performance in neurovascular procedures compared to the manual guidewire. Favorable procedure time and navigation efficiency suggest that a magnetically assisted Cobot guidewire is potentially feasible for neurovascular interventions.