Experimental studies and numerical analysis of the inflation and interaction of vascular balloon catheter-stent systems.

Balloon angioplasty with stenting is a well-established interventional procedure to treat stenotic arteries. Despite recent advances such as drug eluting stents, clinical studies suggest that stent design is linked to vascular injury. Additionally, dilation of the medical devices may trigger pathological responses such as growth and migration of vascular smooth cells, and may be a potent stimulus for neointimal hyperplasia.