Numerical study on the effects of stent implantation on hemodynamics in the stenotic artery-microcirculation...

BackgroundIn recent years, for patients with arterial stenosis up to 75% and poor medical control, stent implantation has become the mainstream choice.ObjectiveThe purpose of this work is to study the effects of stent implantation on hemodynamics in the stenotic artery considering microcirculation.MethodsA stent implantation model with microcirculation is constructed. Expansion simulations are carried out for the grid stent and the link stent respectively to analyze the changes in hemodynamic parameters and the mechanical responses of the plaque and the stent.ResultsCompared with the stent implantation study without microcirculation, the results show that the pressure gradient decreases, and the probability of high time averaged wall shear stress near the stent wires reduces after the grid stent is implanted and expanded. The link stent generates time averaged wall shear stress close to the normal physiological range, and no regions with high oscillatory shear index and high relative residence time are found near the stent wire upstream of the stent.ConclusionsThe link stent can not only better improve the hemodynamic environment, but also reduce the risk of intimal hyperplasia and atherosclerosis. These findings reflect the importance of microcirculation in the regulation of hemodynamics after different stent implantations, providing a new perspective for optimizing stent design.