Comparison of two Endovascular Treatments of a Stenosed Arteriovenous Fistula: Balloon-Angioplasty with and without Stenting

Computational fluid-structure interaction analysis of the end-to-side radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

In the current work, we present a descriptive fluid-structure interaction computational study of the end-to-side radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula. This allows us to account for the different thicknesses and elastic properties of the radial artery and cephalic vein.

METHODS

The core of the work consists in simulating different arteriovenous fistula configurations obtained by virtually varying the anastomosis angle, i.e. the angle between the end of the cephalic vein and the side of the radial artery. Since the aim of the work is to understand the blood dynamics in the very first days after the surgical intervention, the radial artery is considered stiffer and thicker than the cephalic vein.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrate that both the diameter of the cephalic vein and the anastomosis angle play a crucial role to obtain a blood dynamics without re-circulation regions that could prevent fistula failure.

CONCLUSIONS

When an anastomosis angle close to the perpendicular direction with respect to the radial artery is combined with a large diameter of the cephalic vein, the recirculation regions and the low Wall Shear Stress (WSS) zones are reduced. Conversely, from a structural point of view, a low anastomosis angle with a large diameter of the cephalic vein reduces the mechanical stress acting on the vessel walls.

Patient-specific finite element simulation of peripheral artery percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to evaluate the procedure outcome without stent implantation

The purpose of this work is to present a patient-specific (PS) modeling approach for simulating percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) endovascular treatment and assessing the balloon sizing influence on short-term outcomes in peripheral arteries, i.e. without stent implantation. Two 3D PS stenosed femoral artery models, one with a dominant calcified atherosclerosis while the other with a lipidic plaque, were generated from pre-operative computed tomography angiography images. Elastoplastic constitutive laws were implemented within the plaque and artery models. Implicit finite element method (FEM) was used to simulate the balloon inflation and deflation for different sizings. Besides vessel strains, results were mainly evaluated in terms of the elastic recoil ratio (ERR) and lumen gain ratio (LGR) attained immediately after PTA. Higher LGR values were shown within the stenosed region of the lipidic patient. Simulated results also showed a direct and quantified correlation between balloon sizing and LGR and ERR for both patients after PTA, with a more significant influence on the lumen gain. The max principal strain values in the outer arterial wall increased at higher balloon sizes during inflation as well, with higher rates of increase when the plaque was calcified. Results show that our model could serve in finding a compromise for each stenosis type: maximizing the achieved lumen gain after PTA, but at the same time without damaging the arterial tissue. The proposed methodology can serve as a step toward a clinical decision support system to improve angioplasty balloon sizing selection prior to the surgery.

Influence of balloon design, plaque material composition, and balloon sizing on acute post angioplasty outcomes: An implicit finite element analysis

In this work we propose a generic modeling approach for simulating percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) endovascular treatment, and evaluating the influence of balloon design, plaque composition, and balloon sizing on acute post-procedural outcomes right after PTA, without stent implantation. Clinically-used PTA balloons were classified into two categories according to their compliance characteristics, and were modeled correspondingly. Self-defined elastoplastic constitutive laws were implemented within the plaque and artery models, after calibration based on experimental and clinical data. Finite element method (FEM) implicit solver was used to simulate balloon inflation and deflation. Besides balloon profile at max inflation, results are mainly assessed in terms of the elastic recoil ratio (ERR) and lumen gain ratio (LGR) obtained immediately after PTA. No variations in ERR nor LGR values were detected when the balloon design changed, despite the differences observed in their profile at max inflation. Moreover, LGR and ERR inversely varied with the augmentation of calcification level within the plaque (-11% vs. +4% respectively, from fully lipidic to fully calcified plaque). Furthermore, results showed a direct correlation between balloon sizing and LGR and ERR, with noticeably higher rates of change for LGR (+18% and +2% for LGR and ERR respectively for a calcified plaque and a balloon pressure increasing from 10 to 14 atm). However a larger LGR comes with a higher risk of arterial rupture. This proposed methodology opens the way for evaluation of angioplasty balloon selections towards clinical procedure optimization.

The influence of angioplasty balloon sizing on acute post-procedural outcomes: a Finite Element Analysis

Atherosclerosis is one of the most common vascular pathologies in the world. Among the most commonly performed endovascular treatments, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has been showing significantly positive clinical outcomes. Due to the complex geometries, material properties and interactions that characterize PTA procedures, finite element analyses of acute angioplasty balloon deployment are limited. In this work, finite element method (FEM) was used to simulate the inflation and deflation of a semi-compliant balloon within the 3D model of a stenosed artery with two different plaque types (lipid and calcified). Self-defined constitutive models for the balloon and the plaque were developed based on experimental and literature data respectively. Balloon deployment was simulated at three different inflation pressures (10, 12 and 14 atm) within the two plaque types. Balloon sizing influence on the arterial elastic recoil obtained immediately after PTA was then investigated. The simulated results show that calcified plaques may lead to higher elastic recoil ratios compared to lipid stenosis, when the same balloon inflation pressures are applied. Also, elastic recoil increases for higher balloon inflation pressure independent of the plaque type. These findings open the way for a data-driven assessment of angioplasty balloon sizing selection and clinical procedures optimization.Clinical Relevance- The FE model developed in this work aims at providing quantitative evaluation of recoil after balloon angioplasty. It may be useful for both manufacturers and clinicians to improve efficiency of angioplasty balloon device design and sizing selection with respect to plaque geometry and constitution, consequently enhancing clinical outcomes.