The Mechanical Behaviour of Endovascular Gianturco Stents Measured In Vitro

Endovascular stents are used to treat aneurysms, dissections and acute traumatic disruptions of the thoracic aorta. While stents are certainly a much less invasive treatment option, the behaviour of stents in the aorta is still not well understood. Gianturco stents ranging from 8mm to 44mm in diameter were tested and found to exhibit nonlinear force-displacement relationships. The effect of stent length and the common clinical practice of overlapping two stents were also tested. It was found that stent pressure was proportional to stent length and that a small stent overlap resulted in a doubling of the stent force.