The development of an in vitro test method for predicting the abrasion resistance of textile and metal components of endovascular stent grafts.

Implantable endovascular stent grafts have become a frequent option for the treatment of abdominal and thoracic aneurysms. Given that such devices are permanent implants, the question of long-term biostability needs to be addressed. This article describes the development of an in vitro stent graft abrasion test method between the graft fabric and metal stent of an endovascular device. Three endpoints were established to determine the abrasion resistance between the fabric and stent surfaces after a predetermined number of abrasion cycles. During initial testing, two types of graft fabric materials, multifilament woven polyester fabric and monofilament woven polyester fabric, and two types of stent materials, laser cut nitinol stents and regular nitinol stent wire, were evaluated under dry and wet conditions. The results have shown that this test method is viable for testing the relative abrasion resistance of the components of endovascular stent grafts. The abrasion resistance of both fabrics was lower in a wet environment compared to being tested dry. Additionally, the multifilament polyester fabric had better abrasion resistance than the monofilament polyester fabric. The laser cut nitinol stent was more aggressive in creating holes and breaking yarns, while the regular nitinol stent wire caused a greater loss in fabric strength.