A calibration of the Nitinol constitutive parameters of self-expandable devices based on radial force tests is proposed. Optimized material properties were derived for each device, and accurate Finite Element analyses on  patient-specific models were conducted to compare results using standard literature versus calibrated parameters, highlighting the impact of the metallic frame properties on the simulation outcomes.

In particular, we propose optimal material parameters of the well-known and commonly adopted Nitinol constitutive model. We proved that using unprecise material parameters may induce inaccurate predictions inducing significant underestimation/overestimation of stress/strain patterns.