Usefulness of shear stress pattern in predicting neointima distribution in sirolimus-eluting stents in coronary arteries

The true 3-dimensional neointimal thickness distribution in sirolimus-eluting stents was investigated in relation to the shear stress distribution, which was obtained from computational fluid dynamics calculations. Small pits were observed between the stent struts in all patients, and a significant inverse relation between neointimal thickness and shear stress was found, indicating that deeper pits were present in the outside curve of the stented segments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]