Identification of carotid plaque tissue properties using an experimental-numerical approach

A biomechanical stress analysis could help to identify carotid plaques that are vulnerable to rupture, and hence reduce the risk of thrombotic strokes. Mechanical stress predictions critically depend on the plaque's constitutive properties, and the present study introduces a concept to derive viscoelastic parameters through an experimental-numerical approach. Carotid plaques were harvested from two patients during carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and, in total, nine test specimens were investigated. A novel in-vitro mechanical testing protocol, which allows for dynamic testing, keeping the carotid plaque components together, was introduced. Macroscopic pictures overlaid by histological stains allowed for the segmentation of plaque tissues, in order to develop high-fidelity and low-fidelity Finite Element Method (FEM) models of the test specimens. The FEM models together with load-displacement data from the mechanical testing were used to extract constitutive parameters through inverse parameter estimation. The applied inverse parameter estimation runs in stages, first addressing the hyperelastic parameters then the viscoelastic ones. Load-displacement curves from the mechanical testing showed strain stiffening and viscoelasticity, as is expected for both normal and diseased carotid tissue. The estimated constitutive properties of plaque tissue were comparable to previously reported studies. Due to the highly non-linear elasticity of vascular tissue, the applied parameter estimation approach is, as with many similar approaches, sensitive to the initial guess of the parameters.