Nitinol (Nickel-Titanium) alloys exhibit a combination of properties which make these alloys particularly suited for self-expanding stents. Some of these properties cannot be found in engineering materials used for stents today. The paper describes the fundamental mechanism of shape memory and superelasticity. Material properties and device characteristics like elastic deployment, thermal deplo...

The long-term outcome of nitinol stents introduced into a patient with postpneumonectomy syndrome is described. Postpneumonectomy syndrome is a rare but crucial complication after pneumonectomy characterized by severe dyspnoea and recurrent airway infection caused by compression of the main bronchus. Surgical correction of mediastinal displacement and endobronchial stent placement are two major...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To evaluate the long-term (5-year) results of the shape-memory nitinol stapes piston in the surgical treatment of otosclerosis. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case review in a tertiary referral center. METHODS The patients were adults with clinically proven otosclerosis undergoing stapedotomy. Stapedotomy and ossicular chain reconstruction using a shape-memory nitinol stap...

In this study the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite/poly(ε-caprolactone)–poly(ethylene glycol) bilayer coatings on Nitinol superelastic alloy was investigated. The surface of Nitinol alloy was activated by a thermo-chemical treatment and hydroxyapatite coating was electrodeposited on the alloy, followed by applying the polymer coating. The surface morphology of coatings was studied using FE-SEM and...

The thermomechanical performance of a shape memory alloy hybrid composite beam specimen is demonstrated and used in a preliminary validation study of a recently developed constitutive model and finite element formulation for analysis of such structures. A brief description of the thermoelastic formulation is given. A material system consisting of a glass/epoxy matrix with embedded Nitinol actua...

JCO/JANUARY 2003 F devices are increasingly being used for molar distalization in Class II treatment because they eliminate the need for special patient compliance. These appliances fall into two main categories: intra-arch (such as the Distal Jet,* Jones Jig,* and Hilgers Pendulum**) and interarch (such as the Herbst*** and active springs). The spring appliances can be further divided into can...

Enlargement of primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer can be progressive and invade the surrounding vessels despite intensive treatment. Carotid blowout (CBS) tends to occur in these patients, and prompt treatment is required. Surgical management of carotid blowout is technically troublesome because exploration and repair of the previously irradiated or t...

The current clinical trend is to use percutaneous techniques, exploiting Nitinol self-expanding stents, to treat peripheral occluded vessels such as carotid or superficial femoral arteries. Although this class of stents addresses the biomechanical requirements (i.e. flexibility, kink resistance, etc.), it has been observed that many of these stents implanted in peripheral vessels are fractured....