Endovascular aneurysm repair is a minimally invasive technique for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms—life-threatening bulges in the aorta's abdominal section. However, it carries the risk of recurrence owing to endoleaks after stent graft implantation, necessitating regular follow-up especially since these leaks cannot be easily linked to specific symptoms.
Unfortunately, only imaging-based monitoring such as computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance imaging is available at the moment. This conventional follow-up protocol is often periodic, risky due to radiation exposure, hard to access, expensive, or inaccurate.
In a recent breakthrough, a team of researchers led by Dr. Yei Hwan Jung, an Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering as well as the Department of Artificial Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering at Hanyang University, South Korea, has proposed a novel ultrathin flexible sensor inserted endovascularly with a stent to detect Type-I endoleaks with the maximum rupture risk. Their findings have been made available online and published in the Science Advances journal on October 01, 2025.
Dr. Jung further highlights the main contributions of their study. "We have seamlessly integrated the ultrathin sensor onto a stent graft without compromising its original form or function. The sensor is robust enough to withstand the dynamic process of being crimped into a catheter and deployed inside the vessel."
This is the core innovation that transforms a passive implant into an active, smart monitoring device, enabling proactive detection of the silent but potentially fatal risk of endoleaks for aneurysm patients.
The researchers experimentally validated the novelty of their next-generation technology. They found that the sensor does not induce blood leakage and exhibits long-term stability and functionality under vascular and dynamic conditions.
Dr. Jung points out the immense potential of their work and says, "The primary real-life application is for all patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair. This sensor would become an integral part of the stent graft device itself, serving as a built-in safety check. Its immediate use is to provide continuous post-operative monitoring, catching Type-I endoleaks the moment they begin. Beyond this, the core technology—a flexible, biocompatible sensor platform for detecting fluid leakage—could be adapted for other medical procedures. For instance, it could be used to detect subtle flow changes or leaks around stents used for treating peripheral artery disease, or in arteriovenous grafts for hemodialysis, contributing to the long-term success of these procedures."
Over the next 5 to 10 years, this technology has the potential to become the new standard of care for aneurysm treatment. Stent grafts without integrated, real-time monitoring may become obsolete. The longer-term vision is a future where these "smart" implants are connected to telemedicine platforms. A patient's stent could wirelessly transmit its status to their smartphone and, in turn, to their doctor, enabling continuous remote monitoring. This would drastically reduce the need for hospital visits, especially for the elderly or the patients living in rural areas.
Overall, this innovation facilitates wireless monitoring of endoleak status, enables timely intervention, and highly enhances postoperative outcomes by reducing the risk of recurrent aneurysms, furthering the field of medical science and healthcare.
