Accurate characterization of peripheral vascular stent deformation is very important for both stent designers and vascular surgeons. Peripheral arteries can be twisted,compressed and bent simultaneously. At a given moment,the stent deformation mode depends on the type of physical activity and the location of the stent. This paper discusses a non-contact method for measuring various stent deformation modes using photo grammetry. This developed methodology is coupled with finite element analysis (FEA) for accurate and dynamic characterization of the mechanical stresses within the stent. We have designed and fabricated a dynamic multi-modal and multi-axial vascular stent-testing apparatus. Optically measured deformations were used by a dynamically adaptable FEA model as boundary conditions. Deformed shapes from the FEA results were compared with the deformed shapes captured in the video, which were found to be very close. Stresses developed at different regions in the stent structure were observed and points of maximum stresses were identified.
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