Study of stent deployment mechanics using a high-resolution X-ray imaging detector

To treat or prevent some of the 795,000 annual strokes in the U.S., self-expanding endo-vascular stents deployed under fluoroscopic image guidance are often used. Neuro-interventionalists need to know the deployment behavior of each stent in order to place them in the correct position. Using the Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscope (MAF) which has about 3 times higher resolution than commercially available flat panel detectors (FPD) we studied the deployment mechanics of two of the most important commercially available nitinol stents: the Pipeline embolization device (EV3), and the Enterprise stent (Codman). The Pipeline stent's length extends to about 3 times that of its deployed length when it is contained inside a catheter. From the high-resolution images with the MAF we found that upon the sudden release of the distal end of the Pipeline from a helical wire cap, the stent expands radially but retracts to about 30% (larger than for patient deployments) of its length. When released from the catheter proximally, it retracts additionally about 50% contributing to large uncertainty in the final deployed location. In contrast, the MAF images clearly show that the Enterprise stent self expands with minimal length retraction during deployment from its catheter and can be retrieved and repositioned until the proximal markers are released from clasping structures on its guide-wire thus enabling more accurate placement at the center of an aneurysm or stenosis. The high-resolution imaging demonstrated in this study should help neurointerventionalists understand and control endovascular stent deployment mechanisms and hence perform more precise treatments.