Corrosion resistance, surface evaluation, and geometric design comparison of five self-expanding nitinol stents used in clinical practice.

Purpose: To investigate the corrosion resistance properties of 5 commercially available nitinol stents used to treat peripheral artery disease and compare their surface quality, elemental composition, and geometrical design.

Methods: Samples of 5 different designs of nitinol peripheral stents [LifeStent (n=4), Philon (n=6), Epic (n=6), S.M.