CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created computer models to predict physiologically realistic drug delivery patterns from stents in branched arterial vessels.
Led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Elazer Edelman and postdoctoral associate Vijaya Kolachalama, the researchers said they simulated several arterial settings to show drug distribution is determined by a complex calculation of the stent's position relative to arterial branches and constant blood flow changes caused by the branching.
"We now demonstrate for the first time that spatial variation in drug distribution can be significant when appreciated from a three-dimensional perspective and this viewpoint can only be gained with the use of these model systems," Edelman said.
Drug-eluting stents are commonly used to treat obstructive arterial disease, but researchers said several important questions remain unanswered -- in particular, the mechanisms that govern drug delivery to specific lesion sites are poorly defined and pose challenges for stent designers, physicians and regulatory agencies that must evaluate stents' safety and efficacy.
"Appreciating this phenomenon for more complex cases like branched vessels is non-intuitive, but now we have a computer model that (gives) us the much needed insight," said Edelman.
The study appears in the online journal PLoS One.
