Intravascular optical coherence tomography to validate finite-element simulation of angioplasty balloon inflation

Concrete methods are lacking to examine angioplasty simulation results. For the first time, we explored the application of intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) to experimentally validate results obtained from finite-element simulation of angioplasty balloon deployment. In order to simulate each experimental scenario, IVOCT images were used to create initial geometrical models for the balloon and the phantoms. The study comprised three scenarios. The first scenario involved experimentally monitoring as well as simulating free expansion of the balloon. The second scenario involved experimentally monitoring as well as simulating balloon inflation inside three artery phantoms with different mechanical properties. The third scenario involved experimentally monitoring as well as simulating balloon unfolding and inflation inside a multilayer phantom. Using the first scenario, a constitutive model was developed for the balloon and was tuned to fit the IVOCT balloon inflation monitoring results. This model was used to simulate the balloon's response in simulations involving phantoms corresponding to the second and third scenarios. Diameter values were calculated both from images and simulation results. These values were then compared for each scenario. The obtained results highlight the potentials of IVOCT monitoring to validate simulation procedures.