title: In vivo strain assessment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm.
abstract: The only criteria currently used to inform surgical decision for abdominal aortic aneurysms are maximum diameter (>5.5 cm) and rate of growth, even though several studies have identified the need for more specific indicators of risk. Patient-specific biomechanical variables likely to affect rupture risk would be a valuable addition to the science of understanding rupture risk and prove to be a life saving benefit for patients. Local deformability of the aorta is related to the local mechanical properties of the wall and may provide indication on the state of weakening of the wall tissue. We propose a 3D image-based approach to compute aortic wall strain maps in vivo. The method is applicable to a variety of imaging modalities that provide sequential images at different phases in the cardiac cycle. We applied the method to a series of abdominal aneurysms imaged using cine-MRI obtaining strain maps at different phases in the cardiac cycle. These maps could be used to evaluate the distensibility of an aneurysm at baseline and at different follow-up times and provide an additional index to clinicians to facilitate decisions on the best course of action for a specific patient.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Satriano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King׳s College London, King׳s Health Partners, St. Thomas׳ Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rivolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4.
authors.forename: Giampaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martufi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Cir, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
authors.forename: Ender A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Finol
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Bioengineering Research and Education, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4. Electronic address: edimarti@me.com.
authors.forename: Elena S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Di Martino
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Deformation maps; Imaging