Medical engineering & physics
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Over the years, the design of the tip of available catheters and guidewires has evolved into various shapes whose geometry is mostly based on common sense and experimentation. However, while the tip shape of conventional instruments can be easily modified and tested, the length of the tip of a deflectable guidewire cannot. Hence, other approaches are necessary in order to determine the proper dimensions of original instruments. ⋯ Following the length specifications defined by the optimization, a new prototype was assembled, and evaluated. The deflectable guidewire could successfully cannulate most of the pre-selected branches except those bifurcations with an angle α>70°. The latter limitation could be ascribed to the mechanical properties of the instrument.