Computational Framework for Modeling In-Stent Restenosis¹

The living biological tissue adapts to the changes in its biomechanical environment by growth and remodeling. For instance, the arterial thickening and stiffening are observed in hypertensive rats [1], and the neo-tissue grows toward the lumen of stented artery as a result of stent implantation [2]. To better understand the tissue response to the induced mechanical stimuli, many experiments using animal models were conducted. As important complement to experiment, the computational models were also developed to capture and predict the tissue response once they were validated by experimental results. The most popular models for artery growth and remodeling are mathematical models [3–5]. The arteries are usually modeled as hollow cylinders subjected to uniform pressure, and the evolution of geometrical parameters on one cross section, such as wall thickness, deformed inner radius, or opening angle, were usually obtained to describe the arterial growth and adaptation....