title: Finite element modelling of the common carotid artery in the elderly with physiological intimal thickening using layer-specific stress-released geometries and nonlinear elastic properties.
abstract: To investigate the mechanical effects of tissue responses, such as remodelling, in the arteries of the elderly, it is important to evaluate stress in the intimal layer. In this study, we investigated a novel technique to evaluate the effect of layer-specific characteristics on stress in the arterial wall in an elderly subject. We used finite element analysis of a segment of carotid artery with intimal thickening, incorporating stress-released geometries and the stress-strain relationships for three separate wall layers. We correlated the stress-strain relationships and local curvatures of the layers with the stress on the arterial wall under physiological loading. The simulation results show that both the stress-strain relationship and the local curvature of the innermost stress-released layer influence the circumferential stress and its radial gradient. This indicates that intimal stress is influenced significantly by location-dependent intimal remodelling. However, further investigation is needed before conclusive inferences can be drawn.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering , Kyushu Institute of Technology , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Esmaeili Monir
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering , Kyushu Institute of Technology , Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: b Faculty of Medicine , Fukuoka University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Carotid artery; finite element method; intima; stress analysis; stress-free geometry