A mechanistic model on the role of "radially-running" collagen fibers on dissection properties of human ascending thoracic aorta.

ABSTRACT: Aortic dissection (AoD) is a common condition that often leads to life-threatening cardiovascular emergency. From a biomechanics viewpoint, AoD involves failure of load-bearing microstructural components of the aortic wall, mainly elastin and collagen fibers. Delamination strength of the aortic wall depends on the load-bearing capacity and local micro-architecture of these fibers, which may vary with age, disease and aortic location. Therefore, quantifying the role of fiber micro-architecture on the delamination strength of the aortic wall may lead to improved understanding of AoD. We present an experimentally-driven modeling paradigm towards this goal. Specifically, we utilize collagen fiber micro-architecture, obtained in a parallel study from multi-photon microscopy, in a predictive mec

SUBMITTER: Pal S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4082402 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature