MODELING MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ENDOVASCULAR STENTS IN THEIR EXPANDED STATE

determine radial force that a stent can sustain depending on the mechanical and geometrical stent parameters: Youngs modulus and shear modulus of strut material Number of stent struts in the circumferential and axial direction Reference radius and length of stent in expanded state Width and thickness of stent struts determine pressure-displacement relationship (radial and axial) for a stent with given mechanical and geometrical characteristics stents of arbitrary geometry, for example:

METHODS
MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF SLENDER CURVED RODS TO APPROXIMATE STENT STRUTS

DEVELOPMENT OF IN-HOUSE CUSTOM MADE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD-BASED SOFTWARE (1000 times faster than commercial software using 3D approx) EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION

RESULTS
NON-UNIFORM GEOMETRY INFLUENCES STENTS MECHANICAL RESPONSE: SMALLER DIAMONDS IMPLY HIGHER STIFFNESS
pressure=0.5 atm pressure=0.5 atm

pressure=5 atm

MAXIMALLY EXPANDED STENTS ARE STIFFER

Colored by radial displacement Colored by longitudinal displacement

R = 1cm

Deformation (15 %)

R = 0.8cm

Larger deformation (23.5 %)

STENTS PLACED IN A SMOOTH, UNIFORM LUMEN CAN SUPPORT LARGER UNIFORM PRESSURE
if radial force is not uniformly applied to a stent due to, for example, non-axially symmetric lumen cross-section, or a plaque deposit that has not been uniformly pushed against the wall during balloon angioplasty, a stent is less stiff than when it is applied to a uniform lumen surface.

A STUDY OF CORONARY STENT RESPONSE TO COMPRESSION AND TO BENDING FORCES

STENTS CONSIDERED:
1. Express-like stent (Express stent by Boston Scientific)

2. Cypher-like stent (Cypher stent by Cordis)

3. Xience-like stent (Xience stent by Abbott)

COMPRESSION (MOVIES)

BENDING (MOVIES)

CONCLUSIONS
open-cell design provides more flexibility to bending

Express-like stent has high flexibility (bending) while keeping high radial strength (radial displacement: 0.24%)
Xience-like stent is very flexible but it is also soft to radial force (compression) (radial displacement: 2%)

Xience-like stent has the smallest longitudinal extension under cyclic loading (struts in phase) New design: more flexibility than Express with higher radial strength..Cypher-like stent with open-cell design