A Methodology to Analyze Changes in Lipid Core and Calcification Onto Fibrous Cap Vulnerability: The Human Atherosclerotic Carotid Bifurcation as an Illustratory Example

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios E. Kiousis ◽  
Stephan F. Rubinigg ◽  
Martin Auer ◽  
Gerhard A. Holzapfel

A lipid core that occupies a high proportion of the plaque volume in addition to a thin fibrous cap is a predominant indicator of plaque vulnerability. Nowadays, noninvasive imaging modalities can identify such structural components, however, morphological criteria alone cannot reliably identify high-risk plaques. Information, such as stresses in the lesion’s components, seems to be essential. This work presents a methodology able to analyze the effect of changes in the lipid core and calcification on the wall stresses, in particular, on the fibrous cap vulnerability. Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and histology of an ex vivo human atherosclerotic carotid bifurcation, a patient-specific three-dimensional geometric model, consisting of four tissue components, is generated. The adopted constitutive model accounts for the nonlinear and anisotropic tissue behavior incorporating the collagen fiber orientation by means of a novel and robust algorithm. The material parameters are identified from experimental data. A novel stress-based computational cap vulnerability index is proposed to assess quantitatively the rupture-risk of fibrous caps. Nonlinear finite element analyses identify that the highest stress regions are located at the vicinity of the shoulders of the fibrous cap and in the stiff calcified tissue. A parametric analysis reveals a positive correlation between the increase in lipid core portion and the mechanical stress in the fibrous cap and, hence, the risk for cap rupture. The highest values of the vulnerability index, which correlate to more vulnerable caps, are obtained for morphologies for which the lipid cores were severe; heavily loaded fibrous caps were thus detected. The proposed multidisciplinary methodology is able to investigate quantitatively the mechanical behavior of atherosclerotic plaques in patient-specific stenoses. The introduced vulnerability index may serve as a more quantitative tool for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

1999 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Ladak ◽  
J. S. Milner and ◽  
D. A. Steinman

The current trend in computational hemodynamics is to employ realistic models derived from ex vivo or in vivo imaging. Such studies typically produce a series of images from which the lumen boundaries must first be individually extracted (i.e., two-dimensional segmentation), and then serially reconstructed to produce the three-dimensional lumen surface geometry. In this paper, we present a rapid three-dimensional segmentation technique that combines these two steps, based on the idea of an expanding virtual balloon. This three-dimensional technique is demonstrated in application to finite element meshing and CFD modeling of flow in the carotid bifurcation of a normal volunteer imaged with black blood MRI. Wall shear stress patterns computed using a mesh generated with the three-dimensional technique agree well with those computed using a mesh generated from conventional two-dimensional segmentation and serial reconstruction. In addition to reducing the time required to extract the lumen surface from hours to minutes, our approach is easy to learn and use and requires minimal user intervention, which can potentially increase the accuracy and precision of quantitative and longitudinal studies of hemodynamics and vascular disease. [S0148-0731(00)00201-6]


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yushi Li ◽  
Joyce W. Y. Chan ◽  
Rainbow W. H. Lau ◽  
Winnie W. Y. Cheung ◽  
Alissa Michelle Wong ◽  
...  

Lung cancer is a complex milieu of genomically altered cancer cells, a diverse collection of differentiated cells and nonneoplastic stroma. Lung cancer organoids is a three-dimensional structure grown from patient cancer tissue that could mimic in vivo complex behavior and cellular architecture of the cancer. Furthermore, the genomic alterations of the primary lung tumor is captured ex vivo. Lung cancer organoids have become an important preclinical model for oncology studies in recent years. It could be used to model the development of lung cancer, investigate the process of tumorigenesis, and also study the signaling pathways. The organoids could also be a platform to perform drug screening and biomarker validation of lung cancer, providing a promising prediction of patient-specific drug response. In this review, we described how lung cancer organoids have opened new avenues for translating basic cancer research into clinical therapy and discussed the latest and future developments in organoid technology, which could be further applied in lung cancer organoids research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (03) ◽  
pp. 1842009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxin Wang ◽  
Boyan Mao ◽  
Bao Li ◽  
Xi Zhao ◽  
Chensi Xu ◽  
...  

Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR), an invasive index of coronary artery tree, can evaluate the functional performance of vascular stenosis without pharmacological vasodilators. The noninvasive assessment of diameter stenosis (DS) obtained from coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) has high false positive rate in contrast to iFR. The aim of this study was to develop a numerical simulation method that predicts the iFR and noninvasively assess the myocardial ischemia. Based on the CTA images, a patient-specific three-dimensional model of the aorta and coronary arteries were reconstructed. A stenosis was created in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) by reducing the DS of geometric model (40%, 50%, 60%, 75% and 90%). The patient-specific LPM boundary condition were set up to compute iFRct value during the wave-free period at the resting condition. The computed pressure and flow of coronary artery were realistic as compared to literature data. In contrast to invasive iFR, the iFRct can make a cost-benefit balance in terms of clinical cost and patient’s health.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Ruiters ◽  
Sohaib Shujaat ◽  
Karla Faria Vasconcelos ◽  
Eman Shaheen ◽  
Reinhilde Jacobs ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Annika Niemann ◽  
Samuel Voß ◽  
Riikka Tulamo ◽  
Simon Weigand ◽  
Bernhard Preim ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose For the evaluation and rupture risk assessment of intracranial aneurysms, clinical, morphological and hemodynamic parameters are analyzed. The reliability of intracranial hemodynamic simulations strongly depends on the underlying models. Due to the missing information about the intracranial vessel wall, the patient-specific wall thickness is often neglected as well as the specific physiological and pathological properties of the vessel wall. Methods In this work, we present a model for structural simulations with patient-specific wall thickness including different tissue types based on postmortem histologic image data. Images of histologic 2D slices from intracranial aneurysms were manually segmented in nine tissue classes. After virtual inflation, they were combined into 3D models. This approach yields multiple 3D models of the inner and outer wall and different tissue parts as a prerequisite for subsequent simulations. Result We presented a pipeline to generate 3D models of aneurysms with respect to the different tissue textures occurring in the wall. First experiments show that including the variance of the tissue in the structural simulation affect the simulation result. Especially at the interfaces between neighboring tissue classes, the larger influence of stiffer components on the stability equilibrium became obvious. Conclusion The presented approach enables the creation of a geometric model with differentiated wall tissue. This information can be used for different applications, like hemodynamic simulations, to increase the modeling accuracy.


Author(s):  
Surabhi Rathore ◽  
Tomoki Uda ◽  
Viet Q. H. Huynh ◽  
Hiroshi Suito ◽  
Toshitaka Watanabe ◽  
...  

AbstractHemodialysis procedure is usually advisable for end-stage renal disease patients. This study is aimed at computational investigation of hemodynamical characteristics in three-dimensional arteriovenous shunt for hemodialysis, for which computed tomography scanning and phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging are used. Several hemodynamical characteristics are presented and discussed depending on the patient-specific morphology and flow conditions including regurgitating flow from the distal artery caused by the construction of the arteriovenous shunt. A simple backflow prevention technique at an outflow boundary is presented, with stabilized finite element approaches for incompressible Navier–Stokes equations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angad Malhotra ◽  
Matthias Walle ◽  
Graeme R. Paul ◽  
Gisela A. Kuhn ◽  
Ralph Müller

AbstractMethods to repair bone defects arising from trauma, resection, or disease, continue to be sought after. Cyclic mechanical loading is well established to influence bone (re)modelling activity, in which bone formation and resorption are correlated to micro-scale strain. Based on this, the application of mechanical stimulation across a bone defect could improve healing. However, if ignoring the mechanical integrity of defected bone, loading regimes have a high potential to either cause damage or be ineffective. This study explores real-time finite element (rtFE) methods that use three-dimensional structural analyses from micro-computed tomography images to estimate effective peak cyclic loads in a subject-specific and time-dependent manner. It demonstrates the concept in a cyclically loaded mouse caudal vertebral bone defect model. Using rtFE analysis combined with adaptive mechanical loading, mouse bone healing was significantly improved over non-loaded controls, with no incidence of vertebral fractures. Such rtFE-driven adaptive loading regimes demonstrated here could be relevant to clinical bone defect healing scenarios, where mechanical loading can become patient-specific and more efficacious. This is achieved by accounting for initial bone defect conditions and spatio-temporal healing, both being factors that are always unique to the patient.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niksa Mohammadi Bagheri ◽  
Mahmoud Kadkhodaei ◽  
Shiva Pirhadi ◽  
Peiman Mosaddegh

AbstractThe implementation of intracorneal ring segments (ICRS) is one of the successfully applied refractive operations for the treatment of keratoconus (kc) progression. The different selection of ICRS types along with the surgical implementation techniques can significantly affect surgical outcomes. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of ICRS implementation techniques and design on the postoperative biomechanical state and keratometry results. The clinical data of three patients with different stages and patterns of keratoconus were assessed to develop a three-dimensional (3D) patient-specific finite-element model (FEM) of the keratoconic cornea. For each patient, the exact surgery procedure definitions were interpreted in the step-by-step FEM. Then, seven surgical scenarios, including different ICRS designs (complete and incomplete segment), with two surgical implementation methods (tunnel incision and lamellar pocket cut), were simulated. The pre- and postoperative predicted results of FEM were validated with the corresponding clinical data. For the pre- and postoperative results, the average error of 0.4% and 3.7% for the mean keratometry value ($$\text {K}_{\text{mean}}$$ K mean ) were predicted. Furthermore, the difference in induced flattening effects was negligible for three ICRS types (KeraRing segment with arc-length of 355, 320, and two separate 160) of equal thickness. In contrast, the single and double progressive thickness of KeraRing 160 caused a significantly lower flattening effect compared to the same type with constant thickness. The observations indicated that the greater the segment thickness and arc-length, the lower the induced mean keratometry values. While the application of the tunnel incision method resulted in a lower $$\text {K}_{\text{mean}}$$ K mean value for moderate and advanced KC, the induced maximum Von Mises stress on the postoperative cornea exceeded the induced maximum stress on the cornea more than two to five times compared to the pocket incision and the preoperative state of the cornea. In particular, an asymmetric regional Von Mises stress on the corneal surface was generated with a progressive ICRS thickness. These findings could be an early biomechanical sign for a later corneal instability and ICRS migration. The developed methodology provided a platform to personalize ICRS refractive surgery with regard to the patient’s keratoconus stage in order to facilitate the efficiency and biomechanical stability of the surgery.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Teh ◽  
E. M. Berendsen ◽  
E. C. Hoedt ◽  
S. Kang ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractThe mucosa-associated microbiota is widely recognized as a potential trigger for Crohn’s disease pathophysiology but remains largely uncharacterised beyond its taxonomic composition. Unlike stool microbiota, the functional characterisation of these communities using current DNA/RNA sequencing approaches remains constrained by the relatively small microbial density on tissue, and the overwhelming amount of human DNA recovered during sample preparation. Here, we have used a novel ex vivo approach that combines microbe culture from anaerobically preserved tissue with metagenome sequencing (MC-MGS) to reveal patient-specific and strain-level differences among these communities in post-operative Crohn’s disease patients. The 16 S rRNA gene amplicon profiles showed these cultures provide a representative and holistic representation of the mucosa-associated microbiota, and MC-MGS produced both high quality metagenome-assembled genomes of recovered novel bacterial lineages. The MC-MGS approach also produced a strain-level resolution of key Enterobacteriacea and their associated virulence factors and revealed that urease activity underpins a key and diverse metabolic guild in these communities, which was confirmed by culture-based studies with axenic cultures. Collectively, these findings using MC-MGS show that the Crohn’s disease mucosa-associated microbiota possesses taxonomic and functional attributes that are highly individualistic, borne at least in part by novel bacterial lineages not readily isolated or characterised from stool samples using current sequencing approaches.


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