Computational Comparison of the Mechanical Behavior of Aortic Stent-Grafts Derived from Auxetic Unit Cells

Purpose

Inappropriate stent-graft (SG) flexibility has been frequently associated with endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) complications such as endoleaks, kinks, and SG migration, especially in tortuous arteries. Stents derived from auxetic unit cells have shown some potential to address these issues as they offer an optimum trade-off between radial stiffness and bending flexibility.

Methods

In this study, we utilized an established finite element (FE)-based approach to replicate the mechanical response of a SG iliac limb derived from auxetic unit cells in a virtual tortuous iliac aneurysm using a combination of a 180° U-bend and intraluminal pressurization. This study aimed to compare the mechanical performance (flexibility and durability) of SG limbs derived from auxetic unit cells and two commercial SG limbs (Z-stented SG and circular-stented SG models) in a virtual tortuous iliac aneurysm. Maximal graft strain and maximum stress in stents were employed as criteria to estimate the durability of SGs, whereas the maximal luminal reduction rate and the bending stiffness were used to assess the flexibility of the SGs.

Results

SG limbs derived from auxetic unit cells demonstrated low luminal reduction (range 4–12%) with no kink, in contrast to Z-stented SG, which had a kink in its central area alongside a high luminal reduction (44%).

Conclusions

SG limbs derived from auxetic unit cells show great promise for EVAR applications even at high angulations such as 180°, with acceptable levels of durability and flexibility.