A numerical finite element methodology of the EVAR procedure

The abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is one of the most frequent aortic wall pathologies and it is defined as a local dilation of the vessel, typically more than 50% of the physiological diameter. When surgical intervention is needed, AAA can be treated by a minimally invasive technique, endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). EVAR is becoming established as the primary treatment for AAA, given the high short-term success of the procedure. EVAR consists of placing a self-expandable device - called stent-graft (SG) - into the diseased aorta to restore the original lumen. In particular, the device is crimped and placed into a catheter; the catheter is inserted through the femoral artery into the patient and is delivered to the aorta; once the correct position is reached, the catheter is withdrawn, and the SG expands. Some studies are present in the literature adopting the finite element analysis to predict the SG behaviour after implantation and its interaction with the aortic wall. This work aims at recreating stent-graft models similar to commercial ones including both the SGs main body and additional limb extensions and developing a methodology to replicate the EVAR procedure in patient-specific anatomy.