Integrated Stent Models Based on Dimension Reduction: Review and Future Perspectives

Stent modeling represents a challenging task from both the theoretical and numerical viewpoints, due to its multi-physics nature and to the complex geometrical configuration of these devices. In this light, dimensional model reduction enables a comprehensive geometrical and physical description of stenting at affordable computational costs. In this work, we aim at reviewing dimensional model reduction of stent mechanics and drug release. Firstly, we address model reduction techniques for the description of stent mechanics, aiming to illustrate how a three-dimensional stent model can be transformed into a collection of interconnected one-dimensional rods, called a “stent net”. Secondly, we review available model reduction methods similarly applied to drug release, in which the “stent net” concept is adopted for modeling of drug elution. As a result, drug eluting stents are described as a distribution of concentrated drug release sources located on a graph that fully represents the stent geometry. Lastly, new results about the extension of these model reduction approaches to biodegradable stents are also discussed.