Background: Computer-based simulation is necessary to clarify the hemodynamics in brain aneurysm.
Specifically for endovascular treatments, the effects of indwelling intravascular
devices on blood stream need to be considered. The most recent technology used for
cerebral aneurysm treatment is related to the use of flow diverters to reduce the
amount of flow entering the aneurysm. To verify the differences of flow reduction,
we analyzed multiple Enterprise stents and two kinds of flow diverters. Materials and Methods: In this research, we virtually modeled three kinds of commercial intracranial stents
(Enterprise, Silk, and Pipeline) and mounted to fit into the vessel wall, and deployed
across the neck of an IC-ophthalmic artery aneurysm. Also, we compared the differences
among multiple Enterprise stents and two flow diverters in a standalone mode. Results: From the numerical results, the values of wall shear stress and pressure are reduced
in proportion to the size of mesh, especially in the inflow area. However, the reduced
velocity within the aneurysm sac by the multiple stents is not as significant as the
flow diverters. Conclusions: This is the first study analyzing the flow alterations among multiple Enterprise
stents and flow diverters. The placement of small meshed stents dramatically reduced
the aneurysmal fluid movement. However, compared to the flow diverters, we did not
observe the reduction of flow velocity within the aneurysm by the multiple stents.
Key-words:
Aneurysm - computational fluid dynamics - flow diverter - multiple stents
