Guidewire path simulation using equilibrium of forces

Vascular diseases are among the major causes of death in developed countries and the treatment of those pathologies may require endovascular interventions, in which the physician utilizes guidewires and catheters through the vascular system to reach the injured vessel region. Several computational studies related to endovascular procedures are in constant development. So, predicting the guidewire path may be of great value for both physicians and researchers. We propose a method to simulate and predict the guidewire and catheter path inside a blood vessel based on equilibrium of forces, which leads, iteratively, to the minimum energy configuration. This technique was validated with physical models using a empty set0.33mm stainless steel guidewire. This method presented RMS error, in average, less than 1 mm Moreover, the algorithm presented low variation (in average, sigma=0.03mm) due to the variation of the input parameters. Therefore, even for a wide range of different parameters configuration, similar results are presented, which makes this technique easier to work with. Since this method is based on basic physics, it is simple, intuitive, easy to learn and easy to adapt.