Ebrahim Vahabli
Research Profile
Endovascular aortic repair has emerged to alleviate the perioperative morbidity and mortality rate associated with open surgical repair (OSR). Since the first successful abdominal aneurysm exclusion in 1991, this treatment has evolved in terms of procedural policies and devices, and has been further utilised practically for other types of aortic disorders. In this non-invasive procedure, a stent-graft is placed transluminally through a catheter to exclude the disease by shielding the diseased artery and, thus, prevents the arterial wall's rupture.

To prevent stent-graft perioperative complications, close monitoring of the device over many years is required, particularly as complications can arise in 25-40% of patients who require additional interventions or conversion to OSR.
In his PhD, Ebrahim was developing a novel stent-graft that utilises advanced manufacturing technology, with the intention of creating a biomimetic prototype capable of addressing the current device complications. This involved making a specific type of smart material for this purpose. The ultimate goal is to open a new path for the next generation of stent-grafts.
Supervisors
Adjunct A/Prof Barry Doyle, A/Prof Elena De-Juan-Pardo and Clin/Prof Shirley Jansen
Contact
Keywords: Endovascular aortic repair | Stent-graft | 4d printing | Smart material | Topology optimisation