Is t-Branch Stent Appropriate for Different Patients with Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm?

Background: Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) is a localized enlargement of the upper part of the abdominal aorta which may lead to rupture and death. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) stent grafts (SGs) offer an alternative treatment for conventional open vascular surgery. In this case the surgeon must enable blood flow to the celiac artery, superior mesenteric artery and the kidneys arteries. A t-Branch multibranched stent graft, is designed to provide an "on-the-shelf" solution, for different patients who suffer from this problem.

Methods: Geometric aneurysms` models of different patients were taken from CT. In each of the models, a t-branch stent was inserted. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of pulsatile blood flow during the cardiac cycle, were employed, and the effect of these stent on the abdominal aortic blood flow and the wall shear stresses were analyzed.

Results: Due to t-Branch stent implantation, there is an increase in the blood velocity and decrease in the pressure, in comparison to TAAA. The t-branch stents do not cause the flow regime to become turbulent or transitional, in agreement with data that show a success of this procedure.

Conclusion: A comparison of t-branch stent treatment in different patients, suggests that this off-the-shelf product may be appropriate for different patients.