Experimental Validation of the Influence of Stent Strut Compression on Artery Wall Drug Mass Transport

Atherosclerosis is a degenerative disease that affects coronary, carotid and other peripheral arteries in the body. Arterial occlusions ensuing from aggressive atherosclerotic plaque progression can often culminate in an ischemic attack, such as an apoplectic attack or a myocardial infarction [1–3]. Several interventional procedures are available to the clinician but in recent years drug eluting stents (DES) have become the preferred choice and by the beginning of 2006 more than 8 out of 10 coronary stents were DES [4] at a cost of between $4 and $5 billion annually [5].