J. Hu
North Carolina State University,
United States
Keywords: microsphere embolic agent, minimally invasive procedure, transcatheter delivery, phantom
Summary:
Microspheres have achieved widespread clinical use as embolic agents. However, they often lack imaging opacity, optimal morphology and mechanical properties which can lead to unpredictable trajectories, non-target delivery, and suboptimal embolization. This study developed Ta@Ca-Alg microspheres with intrinsic radiopacity and tunable density and mechanical properties. Ta@Ca-Alg microspheres were synthesized using a gas-shearing method and analyzed for size, morphology, swelling behavior, density, radiopacity, and optimized mechanical properties. The results demonstrated that Ta@Ca-Alg microspheres maintained a narrow size distribution, with increasing Ta concentration enhancing radiopacity comparable with clinical contrast agents. Density and Young’s modulus corresponding to different Ta concentrations were also investigated. Phantom model testing validated effective vessel occlusion and controlled penetration. These findings suggest that Ta@Ca-Alg microspheres are promising embolic agents with optimized, radiopacity, density, and mechanical properties, offering excellent potential for TAE procedures.