title: An alginate hydrogel dura mater replacement for use with intracortical electrodes.
abstract: The collagenous dura mater requires a secure closure following implantation of neural prosthetic devices to avoid complications due to cerebrospinal fluid leakage and infections. Alginate was previously suggested for use as a dural sealant. The liquid application and controllable gelling conditions enable alginate to conform to the unique geometries of a neural prosthetic device and the surrounding dura mater to create a barrier with the external environment. In this study, we evaluated the use of alginate as a method to securely reclose a dural defect and seal around an untethered microscale neural probe in the rabbit model. After 3 days and 3 weeks, the sealing strength of alginate remained eight times greater than normal rabbit intracranial pressure and similar in both the presence and absence of a penetrating neural probe. For time points up to 3 months, there was no significant difference in dura mater fibrosis or thickness between alginate and controls. Application of alginate to a dural defect results in a watertight seal that remains intact while the dura mater reforms. These findings indicate that alginate is an effective tool for sealing around microscale neural probes and suggests broader application as a sealant for larger neural prosthetic devices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2099, USA. enunamak@purdue.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Nunamaker
authors.forename: Daryl R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kipke
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004388:Dura Mater; D004566:Electrodes; D020100:Hydrogels; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels