Title: Precision inspection of coils using diffraction techniques

Authors: William Doherty, Karol Murphy, Daithi Fallon, M. Prendiville

Addresses: Department of Manufacturing, Biomedical and Facilities Engineering, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. ' Department of Manufacturing, Biomedical and Facilities Engineering, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. ' Department of Manufacturing, Biomedical and Facilities Engineering, Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. ' Boston Scientific Ireland, Model Farm Road, Cork, Ireland

Abstract: Cerebral aneurysms occur in the walls of blood vessels in the brain where a section weakens and bulges. The stress on the wall increases with the bulge size until rupture occurs. One method is to insert a Guglielmi electrolytically Detachable Coil (GDC) in to the aneurism which is then detached by means of an electrical charge. The coil which is inserted into the aneurysm attracts and traps blood platelets promoting coagulation of blood. As strict quality controls are necessary, defects must be identified and this section of the coil must be discarded to avoid possible failure during surgery. Currently, the primary winds of the coils are inspected visually – under a microscope, a slow and costly operation and the quality of the inspection is totally dependant on the particular operator. This paper discusses the development of an inspection device to inspect the full coil and identify its defects.

Keywords: diffraction; helix; image analysis; precision inspection; coils; coil inspection; cerebral aneurysms; Guglielmi detachable coil; GDC; blood coagulation; automated inspection; brain aneurysms; rupture; blood vessels.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2007.014566

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2007 Vol.1 No.4, pp.468 - 477

Published online: 16 Jul 2007 *

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