Effects of Knee Flexion on Stented Peripheral Arteries: A Computational and In Vitro Study

Abstract

The femoropopliteal (FP) artery is a branch of the femoral artery, the main artery in the upper leg, providing blood to all muscles and superficial tissues in the thigh. It is the largest of the femoral artery branches, composed of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) in the proximal region and popliteal artery (PA) in the distal region which runs below the knee. It is characterised by its tortuous geometry, associating a high atherosclerotic plaque burden with it. However, due to the dynamic forces of the SFA and PA, peripheral stents are reported to have the highest failure rates, predominantly due to bending [1]. Worst case bending can be seen in regions of the SFA/PA behind and just above the knee [2] and this is detrimental to stent patency.