Assessment of plaque stability by means of high-resolution MRI and finite element analyses of local stresses and strains

C. Schulze-Bauer1, M. Auer1, R. Stollberger2,3, P. Regitnig4, M. Sonka5, G.A. Holzapfel1
1Institute for Structural Analysis Computational Biomechanics, Graz University of Technology Schiesstattgasse, Graz, Austria
2Institute of Magnetic Resonance, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Graz, Austria
3Institute of Magnetic Resonance Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Graz, Austria
4Institute of Pathology Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Graz, Austria
5Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

Tóm tắt

To date no adequate diagnostic strategy exists for the assessment of plaque stability. Current approaches focus on identification of high-risk morphological features in cross-sectional images, such as thin caps and large lipid pools. Plaque stability, however, is a 3D mechanical problem, whose solution requires information on both the geometry and the mechanical properties of the involved tissue components. This preliminary in vitro study is aimed to create multicomponent morphological and material models of human diseased arteries from cadavers. Morphological models are based on highly resolved MR images. Material models are fitted to mechanical testing data of single tissue components. Subsequent finite element analysis allows computation of local stresses and strains, whereas consideration of fracture properties provides a basis for the plaque stability assessment. Results demonstrate the complex mechanical behavior of diseased arteries, suggesting that reliable plaque stability assessment requires a combination of appropriate MR protocols, segmentation algorithms and mechanical analysis.

Từ khóa

#Stability analysis #Magnetic resonance imaging #Finite element methods #Stress #Capacitive sensors #Biological materials #Arteries #Lipidomics #Information geometry #Mechanical factors

Tài liệu tham khảo

10.1161/01.CIR.94.5.932 10.1002/(SICI)1522-2594(199910)42:4<762::AID-MRM19>3.0.CO;2-M 10.1161/01.CIR.101.21.2503 10.1161/01.CIR.102.5.506 10.1016/S0140-6736(89)90953-7 10.1161/01.CIR.87.4.1179 keeling, 2000, Total variation based convex filters for medical imaging, 206 sled, 1997, A non-parametric method for automatic correction of intensity non-uniformity in MRI data holzapfel, 2000, Mechanics of angioplasty: wall, balloon and stent, Mechanics in Biology, amd 2421bed 46, 141 holzapfel, 0, A layer-specific 3D model for the simulation of balloon angioplasty using MR imaging and mechanical testing, Annals of Biomedical Engineering 10.1097/00004424-199611000-00007 10.1148/radiographics.17.1.9017808 10.1148/radiology.204.3.9280257 10.1161/01.ATV.19.11.2756 10.1161/01.ATV.20.7.1824 winn, 1998, Detection and characterization of atherosclerotic fibrous caps with T2-weighted MR, AJNR Amer J Neuroradiol, 129 toussaint, 1995, T2-weighted contrast for NMR characterization of human atherosclerosis, Arterioscler Thromb Vase Biol, 15, 1533, 10.1161/ATVB.15v10.1533 10.1161/01.ATV.17.3.542 10.1002/jmri.1880050515 10.1023/A:1010835316564