DEVICE FOR TREATMENT OF CEREBRAL EDEMA


Fall 2009

Michael Cima
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Patients with brain tumors, radiation therapy, or brain surgery often have edema (accumulation of fluid) arising from inflammation in the brain. This pressure on the brain can be very damaging and life threatening. Most therapies to treat brain edema include large systemic doses of steroids for continuing periods of time, which can cause complications in other parts of the body. This project will develop a small device containing a drug, to be inserted by minimally invasive methods directly into the brain, reducing systemic side-effects and improving patient health.