Thermoelastic stress analysis of vascular devices

Abstract

The feasibility of using thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) to characterise angioplasty balloons and Nitinol self-expanding stents was investigated. A detailed description of the experimental apparatus developed is provided. A review of recent studies by the authors describes calibration procedures for the balloon and the stent materials. The study demonstrated that quantitative stress data can be obtained from the balloons using TSA. A new study on using TSA to assess geometric changes in the balloons is presented and it is shown that TSA is useful in qualitative assessment of balloon features. The study of the Nitinol stents revealed that a number of difficult challenges need to be overcome before quantitative TSA can take place. This study is summarised in the current paper and new work is presented that involves conducting TSA at elevated temperatures to overcome some of the challenges identified in the earlier study. © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.