Investigation of Pathophysiological Aspects of Aortic Growth, Remodeling, and Failure Using a Discrete-Fiber Microstructural Model.

ABSTRACT: Aortic aneurysms are inherently unpredictable. One can never be sure whether any given aneurysm may rupture or dissect. Clinically, the criteria for surgical intervention are based on size and growth rate, but it remains difficult to identify a high-risk aneurysm, which may require intervention before the cutoff criteria, versus an aneurysm than can be treated safely by more conservative measures. In this work, we created a computational microstructural model of a medial lamellar unit (MLU) incorporating (1) growth and remodeling laws applied directly to discrete, individual fibers, (2) separate but interacting fiber networks for collagen, elastin, and smooth muscle, (3) active and passive smooth-muscle cell mechanics, and (4) failure mechanics for all three fiber types. The MLU model was

SUBMITTER: Mahutga RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7580844 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature