How does the interconnector design influence coronary stents structural and hemodynamic performance?

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) serves as a widely adopted therapeutic intervention for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this process can be impeded by In-Stent Restenosis (ISR), a clinical complication characterized by the re-narrowing of the treated blood vessel. In order to attain an optimized stent design that effectively mitigates the risk of ISR, it is imperative to understand the influence of the geometric features of the stent on its overall performance. The influence of interconnector designs for a specific stent has not been addressed in previous works. This study focuses on evaluating the performance of four stents, each with distinct interconnector designs. The main goal is to compare the effects of four commercial interconnectors both structurally, during stent deployment, and hemodynamically, in the artery after implantation. Following the completion of the analysis, the optimal interconnector design entails both straight and curved segments. The straight parts help the alignment of flow streamlines to decrease the flow stagnation and recirculation zones which contribute to the extent of ISR-prone areas. On the other hand, the curved segments allow a uniform expansion with enhanced flexibility and stress tolerance. The structural and fluid dynamic simulation method provided in this work should give insight into the effects of interconnector features on the stent performance and provide useful information for the design of future coronary stents.