In Silico analysis of stent deployment- effect of stent design.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of death in Europe and worldwide. One of the most common pathologic processes involved in CAD is atherosclerosis. Coronary stents are expandable scaffolds that are used to widen the occluded arteries and enable the blood flow restoration. To achieve an adequate delivery and placement of coronary stents different parameters play a significant role. Due to the strain that the stents are exposed to and the forces they should withstand, the stent design is dominant. This study focuses on investigating the effect of the stent design in two finite element models using two stents with difference in the strut thickness. The in silico deployment is performed in a reconstructed patient specific arterial segment. The results are analyzed in terms of stress in the stent and the arterial wall and demonstrate how stent expansion is extensively affected by the scaffold's design.