Novel Experimental Setup for Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Inflation Testing

Degraded mechanical properties in the aortic wall can lead to the formation of aortic aneurysms, potentially resulting in life-threatening ruptures. Current diagnostic criteria using maximum aortic diameter often fail to predict this critical moment, underscoring the need for more accurate patient-based prediction methods. A hospital-compatible experimental apparatus was designed for quasi-static ex vivo inflation testing of intact Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (ATAA) specimens with 360° full-field three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). Given hospital handling constraints, liquid pressurization was not feasible; instead, pressure was applied via a balloon-driven pneumatic system, and synchronized stereo imaging was used to measure surface displacement fields between 80 and 120 mmHg. The system was validated using a CT-derived ATAA silicone phantom. Full-field displacement measurements showed close agreement with finite element simulations, supporting the mechanical reliability of the apparatus and the repeatability of the measurement workflow. In addition, a frozen-thawed healthy porcine thoracic aorta was tested to demonstrate biological feasibility, particularly regarding the speckle application and DIC tracking, without aiming to extract tissue constitutive parameters. Overall, the setup provides a practical framework for acquiring full-field inflation-induced deformation data from intact aortic specimens in a hospital setting, enabling future studies on resected human ATAA tissue and model calibration that may contribute to more accurate methods for rupture prediction.