Intraparenchymal drug delivery via positive-pressure infusion: experimental and modeling studies of poroelasticity in brain phantom gels

We have used agarose gel to develop a robust model of the intraparenchymal brain tissues for the purpose of simulating positive-pressure infusion of therapeutic agents directly into the brain. In parallel with that effort, we have synthesized a mathematical description of the infusion process on the basis of a poroelastic theory for the swelling of the tissues under the influence of the infusate's penetration into the interstitial space. Infusion line pressure measurements and video microscopy determinations of infusate volume of distribution within the gel demonstrate a good match between theory and experiment over a wide range of flow rates (0.5-10.0 microliters/min) and have clinical relevance for the convection-enhanced delivery of drugs into the brain without hindrance by the blood-brain barrier. We have put the brain phantom gel and the infusion measurement system into routine use in determining performance characteristics of novel types of neurosurgical catheters. This approach simplifies the catheter design process and helps to avoid some of the costs of in vivo testing. It also will allow validation of the elementary aspects of treatment planning systems that predict infusion distribution volumes on the basis of theoretical descriptions such as those derived from the poroelastic model.