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The influence of aortic stiffness on carotid stiffness: computational simulations using a human aorta carotid model
Marjana Petrova1, Yujie Li1, Alireza Gholipour2
1Centre for Healthy Futures, Torrens University Australia Surrey Hills, New South Wales 2010, Australia.
Insights
Increased aortic stiffness may directly impact carotid stiffness, influencing cardiovascular health. This study simulated arterial mechanics to explore this link, suggesting a potential connection between aortic and carotid artery stiffness.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Mechanics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Increased aortic and carotid stiffness are key predictors of cardiovascular events.
- Arterial stiffness varies regionally, making accurate assessment difficult.
- The interplay between aortic and carotid stiffness remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of aortic stiffness on carotid stiffness.
- To evaluate arterial mechanical properties under physiological pressure conditions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a patient-specific computational model of the aorta and carotid arteries using MRI data.
- Simulated varying degrees of aortic stiffness (Young's modulus) at different regional levels.
- Analyzed changes in deformation, compliance, and von Mises stress across the arterial tree.
Main Results:
- Increasing aortic stiffness significantly altered the mechanical properties of the entire aortic tree.
- Regional changes in deformation, compliance, and stress were observed with increased aortic Young's modulus.
- Findings suggest a correlation between increased aortic stiffness and increased carotid stiffness.
Conclusions:
- Aortic stiffness appears to influence carotid stiffness.
- Further large-scale clinical studies are needed to validate these findings.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial for assessing cardiovascular event risk.
Abstract:
Increased aortic and carotid stiffness are independent predictors of adverse cardiovascular events. Arterial stiffness is not uniform across the arterial tree and its accurate assessment is challenging. The complex interactions and influence of aortic stiffness on carotid stiffness have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aortic stiffness on carotid stiffness under physiological pressure conditions. A realistic patient-specific geometry was used based on magnetic resonance images obtained from the OsiriX library. The luminal aortic-carotid model was reconstructed from magnetic resonance images using 3D Slicer. A series of aortic stiffness simulations were performed at different regional aortic areas (levels). By applying variable Young's modulus to the aortic wall under two pulse pressure conditions, one could examine the deformation, compliance and von Mises stress between the aorta and carotid arteries. An increase of Young's modulus in an aortic area resulted in a notable difference in the mechanical properties of the aortic tree. Regional deformation, compliance and von Mises stress changes across the aorta and carotid arteries were noted with an increase of the aortic Young's modulus. Our results indicate that increased carotid stiffness may be associated with increased aortic stiffness. Large-scale clinical validation is warranted to examine the influence of aortic stiffness on carotid stiffness.
