The Impact of Wire Stent Fabrication Technique on the Performance of Stent Placement

Braided wire stents demonstrate distinct characteristics compared to welded ones. In this study, both braided and welded wire stents with the same nominal dimensions were crimped inside a sheath and then deployed into a stenosed artery using finite element analysis. The braided wire stent was generated by overlapping wires to form crisscross shape. A welded wire stent was created by welding the intersection points of wires to avoid sliding between wires. The effect of fabrication technique on mechanical behavior of Nitinol wire stents was evaluated. The results showed that relative sliding between wires reduced the deformation of the braided stent, which led to less radial strength than the welded one; therefore, the deployed braided stent was more conformed to the anatomic shape of the lesion and much less efficient for restoring the patency of the stenotic artery. Post balloon-dilation was commonly used to improve its performance in terms of lumen gain and deployed shape of the stent. On the contrary, the welded wire stent exhibited a high capacity for pushing the occlusion outward. It reached an approximately uniform shape after deployment. The welded joints caused larger deformation and high strain on the stent struts, which indicate a potential earlier failure for the welded stent. In addition, higher contact pressure at the stent-lesion interface and higher arterial stresses were observed in the artery supported by the welded stent. The peak stress concentration may increase the occurrence of neointimal hyperplasia.