Effects of Metal Material Stent Design Parameters on Longitudinal Stent Strength

Abstract

The longitudinal stent deformation (LSD) was usually caused by the external force in the blood vessel. The effects of metal material stent design parameters on the longitudinal stent strength (LSS) were studied using finite element method (FEA). A longitudinal stent compression model was developed and a rigid surface was used to compress the stent after stent deployment in coronary arteries. Results showed that the connector length, the strut amplitude and the curvature radius at the crown junctions influenced the LSS hardly. However, the number of connector played the most significant role in the LSS, and increasing the number of connectors can substantially improve the LSS, and the LSS of stent with four connectors was nearly three times than that of the stent with two connectors. For the shape of connector, the LSS of the S-stent, M-stent and L-stent were successively increased. With regard to the L-stent, increasing the width of connector can improve the LSS. Reasonably changing stent design parameters can effectively strengthen the LSS. Conclusions obtained from this paper can help surgeons to select appropriate stents and designers to optimize the stent design to reduce the LSD.