Aims:
A novel stent was designed for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesion, and it was investigated for its performance by finite element analysis. This study was performed in search of a novel method of treatment of bifurcation lesion with provisional stenting.
Methods:
A coronary bifurcation model was created with the proximal vessel of 3.2 mm diameter, and the distal vessel after the side branch (2.3 mm) was 2.7 mm. A novel stent was designed with connections that had a profile of a tram. Laser cutting and shape setting of the stent was performed, and thereafter it was crimped and deployed over a balloon. The contact pressure, stresses on the arterial wall, stresses on the stent, the maximal principal log strain of the main artery and the side-branch were studied. Also multiple designs were tested in the tram area to suite the standard crimping. The study was performed in Abaqus. A firm lesion model with a stenosis of about 75% was then created with a discrete lesion in the sidebranch and the main vessel. The accompanying figure shows the model used for evaluation.
Results:
The stresses on the main branch and the distal branch were minimally increased after deployment of this stent. The side branch was preserved, and the stresses on the side branch were lesser; and at the confluence of bifurcation on either side of the side branch origin the Von Mises stresses were marginally increased as shown in figure. However, the stresses at the bifurcation and in the main branch were significantly lesser than the stresses by the existing techniques used in the treatment of bifurcation lesions.
Conclusions:
There is a potential for a novel Tram-stent method in the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions.
TCT-69 A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Optimal Strategy for Side Branch Treatment in Patients With Left Main Coronary Bifurcation Lesion (SMART-STRATEGY II)
