A fluid–structure interaction-based numerical investigation on the evolution of stress, strength and rupture potential of an abdominal aortic aneurysm

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an irreversible dilation of the abdominal artery. Once an aneurysm is detected by doctors, clinical intervention is usually recommended. The interventions involve traditional open surgery repair and endovascular aneurysm repair with a stent graft. Both types of prophylactic procedures are expensive and not without any risk to the patient. It is very difficult to balance the risk of aneurysm repair and the chance of rupture. The reason lies in that the changing trend of characteristic physical quantities with the evolution of AAA and the mechanisms that give rise to it are still not completely clear. In this study, computational 3D patient-specific model for investigating AAA development was established based on computed tomography (CT) images. Results showed that as the aneurysm evolved, peak wall stress and time-averaged wall shear stress distribution patterns changed. The expansion of AAA wall resulted in the increment of peak stress. The AAA wall compliance not only showed different magnitudes at different cross-sections of the aneurismal body, but also changed with the development of the aneurysm. Furthermore, minimum wall strength and rupture potential index during the three stages of AAA evolution were also investigated in detail. This study might provide valuable information on how to further explore the mechanical basis and the rupture potential during AAA evolution, and that it may assist clinical diagnostic procedures and avoid the potential risk of unnecessary surgical intervention.