Parametric analysis of drug distribution during infusions into the brain using an axisymmetric model with backflow
Orozco, G. A.; Smith, Joshua H.; Garcia, J. J.
Convection-enhanced delivery as a means to deliver therapeutic drugs directly to the brain has shown limited
clinical efficacy, primarily attributed to the phenomena of backflow, in which the infused fluid flows preferentially along the
shaft catheter rather than forward into the tissue. We have previously developed a finite element model of backflow that includes
both material and geometric nonlinearities and the free boundary conditions associated with the displacement of the tissue away
from the external surface of the catheter. However, that study was limited to predictions of the tissue deformation and resulting
convective fluid velocity in the interstitial space. In this study, we use results from that model to solve for the distribution of the
infused therapeutic agent. We demonstrate that a significant percentage of the infused drug is not transported into the region of
tissue located forward from the catheter tip, but instead is transported into the region along the lateral sides of the catheter. For
lower flow rates, this study suggests that the use of a catheter with a larger radius may be preferable since it will provide the higher
amount of drug to be transported to the tissue in front of the catheter. In contrast, for higher flow rates consistent with clinical
infusions, the radius of the infusion catheter had minimal effect on the distribution of the infused drug, with most being transported
into the tissue around the shaft of the catheter.
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