scholarly journals A Poroviscoelastic Model of Intraluminal Thrombus From Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Author(s):  
Federica Boschetti ◽  
Elena Di Martino ◽  
Giancarlo Gioda

Computational models, developed to study abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) biomechanics, demonstrated that the presence of an intraluminal thrombus (ILT) can significantly alter the wall stress distribution in the degenerated vessel wall [1,2]. ILT is a soft hydrated tissue constituted of 90% of water. The solid porous matrix is made of a fibrin lattice entrapping solid aggregates, mostly platelets [3].. Although the ILT is subjected to compression in vivo, up to now ILT constitutive models have been based on parameters derived from tensile testing of ILT specimens [1]. The aim of this study was to define the biomechanical properties of ILT under compressive loads, using a combined experimental-numerical approach. ILT samples were tested for unconfined compression and permeation. A poroviscoelastic model was implemented to interpret the experimental data.

Author(s):  
David M. Pierce ◽  
Thomas E. Fastl ◽  
Hannah Weisbecker ◽  
Gerhard A. Holzapfel ◽  
Borja Rodriguez-Vila ◽  
...  

Through progress in medical imaging, image analysis and finite element (FE) meshing tools it is now possible to extract patient-specific geometries from medical images of, e.g., abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), and thus to study clinically relevant problems via FE simulations. Medical imaging is most often performed in vivo, and hence the reconstructed model geometry in the problem of interest will represent the in vivo state, e.g., the AAA at physiological blood pressure. However, classical continuum mechanics and FE methods assume that constitutive models and the corresponding simulations start from an unloaded, stress-free reference condition.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Peattie ◽  
Tiffany J. Riehle ◽  
Edward I. Bluth

As one important step in the investigation of the mechanical factors that lead to rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms, flow fields and flow-induced wall stress distributions have been investigated in model aneurysms under pulsatile flow conditions simulating the in vivo aorta at rest. Vortex pattern emergence and evolution were evaluated, and conditions for flow stability were delineated. Systolic flow was found to be forward-directed throughout the bulge in all the models, regardless of size. Vortices appeared in the bulge initially during deceleration from systole, then expanded during the retrograde flow phase. The complexity of the vortex field depended strongly on bulge diameter. In every model, the maximum shear stress occurred at peak systole at the distal bulge end, with the greatest shear stress developing in a model corresponding to a 4.3 cm AAA in vivo. Although the smallest models exhibited stable flow throughout the cycle, flow in the larger models became increasingly unstable as bulge size increased, with strong amplification of instability in the distal half of the bulge. These data suggest that larger aneurysms in vivo may be subject to more frequent and intense turbulence than smaller aneurysms. Concomitantly, increased turbulence may contribute significantly to wall stress magnitude and thereby to risk of rupture.


Author(s):  
Lambert Speelman ◽  
E. Marielle H. Bosboom ◽  
Geert Willem H. Schurink ◽  
Jaap Buth ◽  
Marcel Breeuwer ◽  
...  

In the decision for surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), the risk of rupture is weighed carefully against the risk of the surgical procedure. Currently, AAA diameter is the main factor that determines the decision for surgery. However, in rupture risk estimation AAA wall stress has higher sensitivity and specificity than maximum diameter [1]. Moreover, peak wall stress was higher for ruptured than for non-ruptured or asymptomatic AAAs [2, 3].


Author(s):  
Avinash Ayyalasomayajula ◽  
Bruce R. Simon ◽  
Jonathan P. Vande Geest

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a progressive dilation of the infrarenal aorta and results in a significant alteration in local hemodynamic environment [1]. While an aneurysmal diameter of 5.5cm is typically classified as being of high risk, recent studies have demonstrated that maximum wall stress could be a better indicator of an AAA rupture than maximum diameter [2]. The wall stress is greatly influenced by the blood pressure, aneurysm diameter, shape, wall thickness and the presence of thrombus. The work done by Finol et al. suggested that hemodynamic pressure variations have an insignificant effect on AAA wall stress and that primarily the shape of the aneurysm determines the stress distribution. They noted that for peak wall stress studies the static pressure conditions would suffice as the in vivo conditions. Wang et al have developed an isotropic hyperelastic constitutive model for the intraluminal thrombus (ILT). Such models have been used to study the stress distributions in patient specific AAAs [3, 4].


Author(s):  
Evelyne van Dam ◽  
Marcel Rutten ◽  
Frans van de Vosse

Rupture risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) based on wall stress analysis may be superior to the currently used diameter-based rupture risk prediction [4; 5; 6; 7]. In patient specific computational models for wall stress analysis, the geometry of the aneurysm is obtained from CT or MR images. The wall thickness and mechanical properties are mostly assumed to be homogeneous. The pathological AAA vessel wall may contain collageneous areas, but also calcifications, cholesterol crystals and large amounts of fat cells. No research has yet focused yet on the differences in mechanical properties of the components present within the degrading AAA vessel wall.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. J. Wang ◽  
Michel S. Makaroun ◽  
Marshall W. Webster ◽  
David A. Vorp

Abstract Rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) occurs when the wall stress acting on the dilated aortic wall exceeds the strength of the tissue. Therefore, accurate estimation of the wall stress distribution in AAA may be a clinically useful tool to predict their rupture. A majority of AAA contains a laminated, stationary, intraluminal thrombus (ILT) (Harter et al., 1982). Previous investigations have shown that ILT may significantly alter the wall stress acting on AAA (Inzoli et al., 1993; Mower et al., 1997; Stringfellow et al., 1987; Vorp et al., 1998; Di Martino et al., 1998). However, all of those studies used a simplified linear elastic model for ILT. This is inappropriate and can lead to inaccuracies since both AAA wall and contained ILT undergo large deformation during the cardiac cycle (Vorp et al., 1996). Therefore, to accomplish accurate stress analysis of AAA, appropriate constitutive models for both the wall and ILT are necessary. Our group has previously proposed a finite strain constitutive model for the AAA wall (Raghavan et al., in press). The purpose of this work was to derive a more suitable constitutive model and the associated mechanical properties for the ILT within AAA.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
José F. Rodríguez ◽  
Cristina Ruiz ◽  
Manuel Doblaré ◽  
Gerhard A. Holzapfel

Biomechanical studies suggest that one determinant of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture is related to the stress in the wall. In this regard, a reliable and accurate stress analysis of an in vivo AAA requires a suitable 3D constitutive model. To date, stress analysis conducted on AAA is mainly driven by isotropic tissue models. However, recent biaxial tensile tests performed on AAA tissue samples demonstrate the anisotropic nature of this tissue. The purpose of this work is to study the influence of geometry and material anisotropy on the magnitude and distribution of the peak wall stress in AAAs. Three-dimensional computer models of symmetric and asymmetric AAAs were generated in which the maximum diameter and length of the aneurysm were individually controlled. A five parameter exponential type structural strain-energy function was used to model the anisotropic behavior of the AAA tissue. The anisotropy is determined by the orientation of the collagen fibers (one parameter of the model). The results suggest that shorter aneurysms are more critical when asymmetries are present. They show a strong influence of the material anisotropy on the magnitude and distribution of the peak stress. Results confirm that the relative aneurysm length and the degree of aneurysmal asymmetry should be considered in a rupture risk decision criterion for AAAs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Farsad ◽  
Shahrokh Zeinali-Davarani ◽  
Jongeun Choi ◽  
Seungik Baek

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) evolve over time, and the vertebral column, which acts as an external barrier, affects their biomechanical properties. Mechanical interaction between AAAs and the spine is believed to alter the geometry, wall stress distribution, and blood flow, although the degree of this interaction may depend on AAAs specific configurations. In this study, we use a growth and remodeling (G&R) model, which is able to trace alterations of the geometry, thus allowing us to computationally investigate the effect of the spine for progression of the AAA. Medical image-based geometry of an aorta is constructed along with the spine surface, which is incorporated into the computational model as a cloud of points. The G&R simulation is initiated by local elastin degradation with different spatial distributions. The AAA–spine interaction is accounted for using a penalty method when the AAA surface meets the spine surface. The simulation results show that, while the radial growth of the AAA wall is prevented on the posterior side due to the spine acting as a constraint, the AAA expands faster on the anterior side, leading to higher curvature and asymmetry in the AAA configuration compared to the simulation excluding the spine. Accordingly, the AAA wall stress increases on the lateral, posterolateral, and the shoulder regions of the anterior side due to the AAA–spine contact. In addition, more collagen is deposited on the regions with a maximum diameter. We show that an image-based computational G&R model not only enhances the prediction of the geometry, wall stress, and strength distributions of AAAs but also provides a framework to account for the interactions between an enlarging AAA and the spine for a better rupture potential assessment and management of AAA patients.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Borghi ◽  
Nigel B. Wood ◽  
Raad H. Mohiaddin ◽  
X. Yun Xu

Thoracoabdominal aneurysm (TA) is a pathology that involves the enlargement of the aortic diameter in the inferior descending thoracic aorta and has risk factors including aortic dissection, aortitis or connective tissue disorders (Webb, T. H. and Williams, G. M. 1999). Abnormal flow patterns and stress on the diseased aortic wall are thought to play an important role in the development of this pathology and the internal wall stress has proved to be more reliable as a predictor of rupture than the maximum diameter for abdominal aortic aneurysms (Fillinger, M. F., et al. 2003). In the present study, two patients with TAs of different maximum diameters were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Realistic models of the aneurysms were reconstructed from the in vivo MRI data acquired from the patients, and subject-specific flow conditions were applied as boundary conditions. The wall and thrombus were modeled as hyperelastic materials and their properties were derived from the literature. Fully coupled fluid-solid interaction simulations were performed for both cases using ADINA 8.2. Results were obtained for both the flow and wall stress patterns within the aneurysms. The results show that the wall stress distribution and its magnitude are strongly dependent on the 3-D shape of the aneurysm and the distribution of thrombus.


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