Hemodynamic Changes in Coronary Artery after Stent Implantation Based on Patient-specific Model

Intravascular stents are tubular structures placed into stenotic artery to expand the inside passage and improve blood flow. The mechanical factors affect the restenosis after stenting and image-based simulation has become a popular tool for acquiring information. The aim of this study was to demonstrate quantitatively and qualitatively the hemodynamic changes in coronary artery after stent implantation based on patient medical image data using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). One patient with coronary artery stenosis before and after stent implantation were included. Based on the CT data, threedimensional model of preand post-stenting models were built. Commercial software Adina8.7 was used for CFD simulation. After stenting, the simulation shows a reduction of wall pressure and wall shear stress and a more equal flow through arteries after stenting. CFD is a noninvasive tool to demonstrate changes of flow rate and flow pattern caused by stent implantation. The effect and possible complications of a stent implantation can be visualized. 