A software system for stent planning, stent simulation and follow-up examinations in the vascular domain

In this paper, a software system for supporting stenting in the vascular domain is presented. The system covers all treatment phases from diagnosis to follow-up examinations. During the preoperative phase, the system supports the physician by suggesting the date and the kind (open surgery, minimally invasive) of intervention based on segmenting the patient´s CT data. Therapy planning is additionally supported by a computer-aided stent simulation. Using virtual stenting, it is possible to simulate stents of different manufacturers in the preoperative CT data of the patient. As a result, it can be decided whether a chosen stent has proper dimensions and should be used during the following intervention. The intraoperative phase is supported by visualizing the selected stent from the planning phase at the requested position. After stenting, regular follow-up examinations are necessary to detect stent migration and endoleaks. These time-consuming procedures are also supported by the developed system.