Stent graft visualization and planning tool for endovascular surgery using finite element analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) requires precise stent graft selection.
• Finite element analysis (FEA) offers a promising approach for optimizing EVAR.
• Clinical interpretation of FEA simulation results necessitates specialized software tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and test a novel software module, the Medical Postprocessor, for interpreting FEA simulation results.
• To enable comparison of different stent graft configurations and products within a clinical workflow.
• To enhance stent graft selection for endovascular aortic repair.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Medical Postprocessor tool integrated with the Medical Imaging Interaction Tool Kit (MITK).
• Implemented 2D and 3D visualization modules for interpreting stent graft ring forces and sealing states.
• Conducted usability tests with ten vascular surgeons evaluating software features and user interface.

Main Results:

• Surgeons identified optimal stent graft configurations for fixation and sealing within seconds (16-56s).
• The Medical Postprocessor was deemed an efficient decision support system by the majority of users.
• The software's user interface achieved an ISONORM-conform rating (113.5 points).

Conclusions:

• The Medical Postprocessor effectively assists vascular surgeons in analyzing stent graft properties.
• The software facilitates the interpretation of FEA simulation data for optimizing stent graft selection.
• This tool supports improved configuration and sizing decisions in endovascular aortic repair.