Aortic roadmapping during EVAR: a combined FEM-EM tracking feasibility study.

Purpose: Currently, the intra-operative visualization of vessels during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) relies on contrast-based imaging modalities. Moreover, traditional image fusion techniques lack a continuous and automatic update of the vessel configuration, which changes due to the insertion of stiff guidewires. The purpose of this work is to develop and evaluate a novel approach to improve image fusion, that takes into account the deformations, combining electromagnetic (EM) tracking technology and finite element modeling (FEM).

Correction: Bisighini et al. Fabrication of Compliant and Transparent Hollow Cerebral Vascular Phantoms for In Vitro Studies Using 3D Printing and Spin-Dip Coating. 2023, , 166.

In the original publication [...

Experimental validation of auxetic stent designs: three-point bending of 3D printed Titanium prototypes.

Introduction: Numerical simulations have demonstrated the superior bending flexibility of auxetic stents compared to conventional stent designs for endovascular procedures. However, conventional stent manufacturing techniques struggle to produce complex auxetic stent designs, fueling the adoption of additive manufacturing techniques.

Methods: In this study, we employed DMLS additive manufacturing to create Titanium Ti64 alloy stent prototypes based on auxetic stent designs investigated in a previous study.

Computational Comparison of the Mechanical Behavior of Aortic Stent-Grafts Derived from Auxetic Unit Cells.

Purpose: Inappropriate stent-graft (SG) flexibility has been frequently associated with endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) complications such as endoleaks, kinks, and SG migration, especially in tortuous arteries. Stents derived from auxetic unit cells have shown some potential to address these issues as they offer an optimum trade-off between radial stiffness and bending flexibility.

Methods: In this study, we utilized an established finite element (FE)-based approach to replicate the mechanical response of a SG iliac limb derived from auxetic unit cells in a virtual tortuous iliac aneurysm using a combination of a 180° U-bend and intraluminal pressurization.

Prediction of guidewire-induced aortic deformations during EVAR: a finite element and study.

During an Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) procedure a stiff guidewire is inserted from the iliac arteries. This induces significant deformations on the vasculature, thus, affecting the pre-operative planning, and the accuracy of image fusion. The aim of the present work is to predict the guidewire induced deformations using a finite element approach validated through experiments with patient-specific additive manufactured models.

Fabrication of Compliant and Transparent Hollow Cerebral Vascular Phantoms for In Vitro Studies Using 3D Printing and Spin-Dip Coating.

Endovascular surgery through flow diverters and coils is increasingly used for the minimally invasive treatment of intracranial aneurysms. To study the effectiveness of these devices, in vitro tests are performed in which synthetic vascular phantoms are typically used to reproduce in vivo conditions. In this paper, we propose a manufacturing process to obtain compliant and transparent hollow vessel replicas to assess the mechanical behaviour of endovascular devices and perform flow measurements.

Potential of auxetic designs in endovascular aortic repair: A computational study of their mechanical performance.

With the rising popularity of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for aortic aneurysms and dissections, there is a crucial need for investigating the delayed appearance of post-EVAR complications such as stent-graft kinking, fracture and migration respectively. These complications have been noted to be influenced by the radial stiffness and bending flexibility attributes of stent-grafts. Auxetic designs with negative Poisson's ratio offer interesting advantages such as enhanced fracture toughness, superior indentation resistance and adaptive stiffness in response to intricate morphology for stenting applications over conventional stent designs.

Quantification techniques to minimize the effects of native T1 variation and B1 inhomogeneity in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast at 3 T.

The variation of the native T(1) (T(10)) of different tissues and B(1) transmission-field inhomogeneity at 3 T are major contributors of errors in the quantification of breast dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. To address these issues, we have introduced new enhancement indices derived from saturation-recovery snapshot-FLASH (SRSF) images. The stability of the new indices, i.

B1 transmission-field inhomogeneity and enhancement ratio errors in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of the breast at 3T.

Purpose: To quantify B(1) transmission-field inhomogeneity in breast imaging of normal volunteers at 3T using 3D T(1)-weighted spoiled gradient echo and to assess the resulting errors in enhancement ratio (ER) measured in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) studies of the breast.

Materials And Methods: A total of 25 volunteers underwent breast imaging at 3T and the B(1) transmission-fields were mapped. Gel phantoms that simulate pre- and postcontrast breast tissue T(1) were developed.