Personalized Vessel Stent Composition for Calcified Plaque Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current prefabricated stents are not personalized to the specific nature of plaque deposits in cardiovascular arteries, leading to inefficiencies in blood flow restoration and potential complications.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that aggregates images from various diagnostic modalities to determine personalized stent parameters, such as composition, calcification, and structure, using additive manufacturing to create customized stents tailored to individual patient anatomy and plaque characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If prefabricated stents are used, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but adaptability to individual patient anatomy and plaque characteristics deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from fixed prefabricated stents to customizable stents where geometric parameters (diameter, length, shape) and material parameters (composition, porosity, elasticity) can be varied based on patient-specific imaging data and plaque characteristics, enabling both efficient manufacturing through standardized processes and high adaptability to individual cases
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by performing comprehensive imaging scans (CT, MRI, ultrasound) and computational modeling before stent fabrication to create a digital twin of the patient's vasculature and plaque deposits, allowing the stent design to be optimized in advance according to specific anatomical and pathological parameters
2Device complexity
If standard stent design is used, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but effectiveness in treating varied plaque deposits deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating stents with spatially varying properties where different segments of the stent can have different materials, porosity levels, strut thicknesses, or drug coatings tailored to the specific plaque characteristics at each location along the vessel, allowing optimized treatment of heterogeneous plaque deposits while maintaining manageable manufacturing complexity through modular design approaches
3Adaptability or versatility
If personalized stents are fabricated using additive manufacturing, then adaptability to patient-specific parameters is improved, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces manufacturing time by performing all imaging, segmentation, modeling, and design optimization in advance to create a complete digital twin and fabrication blueprint before additive manufacturing begins, allowing the actual fabrication process to proceed efficiently without interruptions or adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes additive manufacturing time by adjusting process parameters such as layer thickness, infill density, and build orientation based on the specific stent geometry and material requirements derived from patient data, enabling faster fabrication while maintaining the high adaptability of personalized designs
Data Source
AI summary
For personalizing a vessel stent, images associated with a subject generated by various imaging modalities are aggregated. The images are then processed for identifying Regions of Interest (ROIs) and various parameters associated with the ROIs. Further, a model and a composition of the vessel stent to be administered to the subject to alleviate the condition in the vessel are computed. Thereafter, the model is verified for compatibility using information derived from patient stratification parameters. Upon successful verification of the model, a format of the model is generated that can be used directly for fabricating the vessel stent using additive manufacturing processes known in the art.