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Biomechanics

Biomechanics - Poster Session E

Poster D8 - Sleeve Thickness, Boundary Conditions, and Curvature: A CAD Modeling Study

Saturday, October 26, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

    Presenting Author(s)

  • RF

    Ryan Faris

    Student
    University of Texas at Dallas
    Austin, Texas, United States

  • QT

    Quynh Tran

    Student
    University of Texas at Dallas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Jeremy Warren, MS

    Graduate Research Assistant
    The University of Texas at Dallas
    Richardson, Texas, United States

  • Clark A. Meyer, PhD

    Professor of Instruction
    University of Texas at Dallas
    Dallas, Texas, United States

    • Primary Investigator(s)

  • HH

    Heather Hayenga

    Associate Professor
    University of Texas at Dallas, United States


Introduction:  Coronary artery disease (CAD) is at the forefront of public health, responsible for approximately 1 in 4 deaths in the United States. Utilizing finite element analysis (FEA) on arterial models could allow for analysis of arterial wall stresses, giving insight on plaque progression – however, patient-specific computer modeling of this disease is lacking. To develop such models, the impact of certain meshing parameters including outer-sleeve thickness, boundary conditions, and arterial curvature must be explored.

Materials and

Methods:  By using an in-house tetrahedral finite-element approach on patient VH-IVUS image data, we generated 3D arterial models for six separate segments [Figure 1]. Each segment was systematically selected as a representative group to best account for variances in arterial makeup and geometry. For each segment, models were generated with sleeve thicknesses of 0mm, .15mm, .30mm, and .45mm. Six models were also developed with the boundary conditions moved between 0mm and 5mm away from the area of interest for each of the six segments. Finally, models were created for each segment with curvatures 0, 40, 80, and 120 m-1 in two directions. Wall stresses were calculated using FEBio, and subsequent data was compared.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Our results indicate an inverse relationship between average effective stress and sleeve thickness. Additionally, we noted that FEA simulations often failed when running sleeveless models – therefore, we determined an outermost sleeve would be necessary for simulations in the future.

We found that the boundary conditions do have an impact on the wall stress and observed a significant difference at arterial locations closer to the boundary. It was determined that 2.5mm was the minimum distance necessary to have the area of interest not be affected by the boundary conditions. This minimum distance is therefore recommended to minimize the computational power necessary to achieve the same accuracy of results.

Curvature was found to increase or decrease the wall stress depending on where the plaque was placed in the artery. We observed this phenomenon as curving the artery one way would increase the wall stress, while curving in the opposite direction decreased wall stress. The amount of curvature needed to achieve a significant difference in stress was inconsistent, and more investigation is required.

Acknowledgements (Optional):