A cerebral aneurysm occurs when weakened cerebral vessels bulge abnormally, and persistent hemodynamic pressure may cause rupture and intracranial hemorrhage. Coil embolization using a steam-shaped microcatheter is widely used to mitigate this risk, y...
A cerebral aneurysm occurs when weakened cerebral vessels bulge abnormally, and persistent hemodynamic pressure may cause rupture and intracranial hemorrhage. Coil embolization using a steam-shaped microcatheter is widely used to mitigate this risk, yet the complex vascular geometry makes stable navigation and positional maintenance difficult. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) microcatheters exhibit viscoelastic relaxation at body temperature, making both shapability and shape retention essential. This study analyzes how helical coil pitch and TPU hardness influence these characteristics through stress-relaxation testing and shape-retention evaluation in a 37°C environment. Shapability was quantified by measuring the diameter and rotation angle of O-shaped samples and integrating both metrics using a root-sum-square (RSS) error. The results reveal how key design parameters affect shaping performance and stability, offering practical guidance for microcatheter development tailored to procedural demands.