Side-Eye: A Novel Side-Looking Catheter for Fenestrated Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Procedures

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are the 15th leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 200,000 people diagnosed each year. Fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR) is a commonly used procedure to treat AAAs, but it can be technically challenging in cases of complex anatomy. These challenges, including difficulty with target vessel cannulation, prolonged procedure times, and long fluoroscopic exposure times, can negatively impact patient outcomes. This thesis presents the design, development, and performance evaluation of a novel steerable catheter, called the SideEye, that directly addresses the limitations of conventional devices used in these procedures. In a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) phantom model, the SideEye was found to significantly outperform conventional non-steerable and steerable catheters in terms of target vessel cannulation by reducing procedure time and exposure time. These findings suggest that the SideEye could be a valuable addition to the devices available to interventionalists in FEVAR procedures.