ASSESSMENT OF CORONARY STENT DEPLOYMENT IN TAPERED ARTERIES: IMPACT OF ARTERIAL TAPERING

Abstract

Coronary stents are used to prop open blocked arteries in order to restore normal blood flow. A major setback in this technology is in-stent restenosis (ISR), which gravely limits the clinical success of stents, especially in tapered vessels. The present study used the finite element method to study the effects of arterial tapering on the biomechanical behavior of both stents and vessels during stent deployment inside tapered arteries. The effect of arterial tapering was demonstrated by a combination of corresponding tapered arteries with various tapering angles, including a straight artery case for comparison. Results indicated that an increase of vessel tapering led to an increase in stent radial recoil, stent tapering following expansion, and von Mises stresses on vessels. However, an increase of vessel tapering also led to a decrease in stent foreshortening. The analysis provides suggestions for clinical application in tapered vessels. The finite element method evaluated mechanical stent behavior in tapered vessels, and can help designers to optimize the design of stents for tapered vessels.