Computational analysis of mechanical performance for 3D-printed biodegradable PLA cardiovascular stents

Cardiovascular stents are widely applied in the treatment of arterial stenosis, but conventional metallic stents present limitations such as permanent implantation, hypersensitivity reactions, and late restenosis. Biodegradable polymer stents offer a promising alternative, though their translation is restricted by structural design challenges and inadequate mechanical performance. In this study, eight representative stent architectures were computationally evaluated with respect to radial elastic recoil, foreshortening, dogboning, and radial support force. Stents were fabricated from polylactide (PLA) via fused deposition modelling (FDM), and the effects of nozzle temperature, layer height, and printing speed were systematically assessed on PLA dogbone specimens to determine optimised process parameters. Computational analysis revealed that only type B and type F stents met clinical deformation requirements, with radial elastic recoil