Medical Foldables research undertaken by the Special Structures Group, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford

Expandable stent grafts are flexible tubular structures capable of being folded to small diameters allowing their passage into the problematic locations in the body and then subsequently expanded. Expandable stent grafts represent an important advance in the treatment of various diseases related to blockage and weakening of vessels in the human body, e. g., oesophageal cancer and aortic aneurysms. The technique is regarded as simple, safe and more effective in comparison with other surgical treatments.

We have developed the ORIGAMIStentGraft concept where origami techniques have again been employed to generate a set of folding patterns enabling the stent graft to fold up into a small volume for delivery. It can then be expand-ed to form the desired profile and the folds dis-appear.

The ORIGAMIStentGraft is a purely structural concept to be made out of existing bio-compatible materials. Its geometrical simplicity and superior compatibility lead to more reliable expansion and lower manufacturing costs. Moreover, the concept is based on generic solutions enabling them to be easily modified for specific locations and various anatomical shape.