Comparative Studies of Different Stent Designs

The measurement of objective mechanical and dimensional parameters is of uncontested importance for reliable characterization of different stent designs that are currently on the market or still in development. While some of these parameters are mainly used to describe the design or for product placement and marketing, others are important for specifying the safety and performance of the implant. It is difficult to develop meaningful methods to evaluate the clinical characteristics of a stent through physical measurements expressed in terms of mechanical or dimensional parameters. Despite this limitation, comparative studies based on standardized measurements are useful to assess different designs and to attribute specific design features to measurable mechanical quantities. Collecting mechanical and dimensional data on different stent designs also makes it possible to link some physical characteristics of certain stents with in vivo performance once clinical experience with the stent has been acquired. This article summarizes the measurement of the most relevant mechanical and dimensional parameters for a given stent design. Based on the presented methods, the specific design parameters of five stent models available on the market are compared and discussed. Investigated stent types