ABSTRACT
Objective To study the process of single stent and double-stent thrombectomy at the Y-shaped bifurcation of the ideal internal carotid artery by finite element simulation, analyze the stent-thrombus-vessel interaction during the thrombectomy process based on the simulation results, and provide guidance for improving the effect of stent thrombectomy at the bifurcation. Methods The CAD software was used to build the model and the finite element analysis software was used to simulate the process of single stent and double-stent thrombectomy. Results Thrombectomy was unsuccessful in single stent model and successful in double-stent model, and the maximum stress of thrombus during embolus retrieval was twice that of single stent, the maximum strain was 1.12 times that of single stent, and the maximum contact pressure on the surface of vessel was approximately twice that of single stent. Conclusions Double Solitaire stents can effectively prevent thrombus displacement at the bifurcation and successfully retrieve the thrombus, but there is a risk of fracture due to the high stress level in the middle section of the thrombus. The contact pressure of the vessel on the anterior artery side is higher during thrombectomy, and the risk of vessel damage is greater. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the design of the stent-retriever to improve its flexibility.
ABSTRACT
Numerical simulation of stent deployment is very important to the surgical planning and risk assess of the interventional treatment for the cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. Our group developed a framework to deploy the braided stent and the stent graft virtually by finite element simulation. By using the framework, the whole process of the deployment of the flow diverter to treat a cerebral aneurysm was simulated, and the deformation of the parent artery and the distributions of the stress in the parent artery wall were investigated. The results provided some information to improve the intervention of cerebral aneurysm and optimize the design of the flow diverter. Furthermore, the whole process of the deployment of the stent graft to treat an aortic dissection was simulated, and the distributions of the stress in the aortic wall were investigated when the different oversize ratio of the stent graft was selected. The simulation results proved that the maximum stress located at the position where the bare metal ring touched the artery wall. The results also can be applied to improve the intervention of the aortic dissection and the design of the stent graft.