Computational modeling of tissue damage preceding aortic dissection: a coupled biphasic and reactive viscoelastic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Aortic dissection involves progressive damage within the aortic wall, predominantly in the radial direction.
• Radial tensile testing is crucial for understanding the mechanics of aortic dissection.
• Existing models lack a comprehensive framework for arterial tissue behavior under radial tension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a computational model for arterial tissue behavior under radial tensile testing.
• To integrate biphasic formulation and reactive viscoelastic damage for accurate mechanical response simulation.
• To provide a tool for investigating the mechanical precursors of aortic dissection.

Main Methods:

• Developed a biphasic computational model incorporating fluid-solid interactions and viscoelastic damage.
• Implemented the model within the FEBio finite element analysis software.
• Calibrated the model using experimental radial tensile tests on aortic tissue.

Main Results:

• The model accurately reproduced key experimental features like stress relaxation and nonlinear stiffening.
• Demonstrated the model's ability to capture progressive damage under radial tensile loading.
• Validated the computational framework against experimental data for aortic tissue.

Conclusions:

• The proposed model offers a physically consistent description of arterial tissue mechanics under radial tension.
• This computational tool is valuable for studying the mechanical mechanisms leading to aortic dissection.
• The findings advance the understanding of tissue mechanics in cardiovascular pathologies.