Impact of friction force and retrieval speed on in silico mechanical thrombectomies: A sensitivity analysis

Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT) is a widely accepted first-line treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) and it has been studied using in vitro and in silico models. Thrombectomy outcomes have been performed for patient-specific cases using in silico models. However, until now, in vivo friction coefficients for stent-vessel, stent-clot, and clot-vessel interactions are unknown, but in vitro experiments have been attempted with significant standard deviations. These interactions and friction coefficients have been considered an important aspect of thrombectomy success.

In the current study, we explored the influence of variation in friction forces for stent-vessel, stent-clot, and clot-vessel interactions using virtual mechanical thrombectomy (VMT). We have performed three simulations for each interaction and varied friction coefficients around the standard deviation observed in the past in vitro studies.

(i) clot-vessel friction: higher friction leads to clot fragmentation and VMT failure. (ii) stent-clot friction: it is susceptible to VMT outcomes, with lower values showing the slippage of the clot while higher values lead to fragmentation. (iii) stent-vessel friction: higher friction shows compression of the stent in curved vessels and dislodgment of clot from stent retriever (SR) due to its compression, which leads to VMT failure. (iv) retrieval speed (RS): higher RS (>30 mm/s) leads to significant stent compression and unrealistic behavior of the SR.

Analysis of results proposes the necessity for calculating accurate friction factor values and their implementation into in silico models, due to their sensitivity towards thrombectomy outcomes. Such in silico models mimic in vivo thrombectomy more closely and can be used in mechanical thrombectomy planning, management, and decision-making.