Optimisation of stents for cerebral aneurysm

Abstract

Stents are used to effect a flow diversion in an aneurysm to reduce the risk of its rupture. Following the technique of exploration of design space, the present work attempts to optimize the design of stents. In this study both two-dimensional simplification of stents and the three-dimensional ones are considered. Optimization determines the most effective arrangement of struts and gaps within the stents. Velocity and vorticity reduction within the aneurysm form the objective functions. Optimisation is performed by considering random design of stents and arriving at what are called Non-Dominated solutions. The designer identifies the one that suits the requirements best. It is shown that for best flow diversion, a strut at the proximal end is a necessity. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.