Key result
Multi-objective optimization of poly(L-lactic acid) stent geometry and material properties produced an optimal design with a radial collapse pressure of 40 kPa, doubling the baseline performance with less than a 1% increase in stent-to-artery ratio.
Why the study?
Bioresorbable polymer stents are mechanically inferior to metal stents and require thicker struts that may increase thrombosis risk, creating a need for mechanically effective but sufficiently thin designs.
Computational optimization of material processing and geometry can identify poly(L-lactic acid) bioresorbable stent designs with mechanical performance comparable to current clinical devices.
Computational optimization identifies promising thin-strut PLLA designs; leaves open clinical translation and impact on thrombosis risk.
Coronary stents for treating atherosclerosis are traditionally manufactured from metallic alloys. However, metal stents permanently reside in the body and may trigger undesirable immunological responses. Bioresorbable polymer stents can provide a temporary scaffold that resorbs once the artery heals but are mechanically inferior, requiring thicker struts for equivalent radial support, which may increase thrombosis risk. This study addresses the challenge of designing mechanically effective but sufficiently thin poly(L-lactic acid) stents through a computational approach that optimises material properties and stent geometry. Forty parametric stent designs were generated: cross-sectional area (post-dilation), foreshortening, stent-to-artery ratio and radial collapse pressure were evaluated computationally using finite element analysis. Response surface methodology was used to identify performance trade-offs by formulating relationships between design parameters and response variables. Multi-objective optimisation was used to identify suitable stent designs from approximated Pareto fronts and an optimal design is proposed that offers comparable performance to designs in clinical practice. In summary, a computational framework has been developed that has potential application in the design of high stiffness, thin strut polymeric stents.
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Blair et al. (2019) studied Coronary artery disease. Multi-objective optimization of material properties and strut geometry vs. Baseline stent design was evaluated on Stent performance metrics (cross-sectional area, foreshortening, stent-to-artery ratio, radial collapse pressure). Multi-objective optimization of poly(L-lactic acid) stent geometry and material properties produced an optimal design with a radial collapse pressure of 40 kPa, doubling the baseline performance with less than a 1% increase in stent-to-artery ratio.
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