BIOMECHANICS OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSM IN THE PRESENCE OF ENDOLUMINAL THROMBUS - EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION AND STRUCTURAL STATIC COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS

Objectives: To evaluate the role played by biomechanical and geometric al parameters of endoluminal thrombus and of aortic wall on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) behaviour. Materials and methods: Tensile tests on 21 AAA thrombus specimens from six patients undergoing AAA repair a nd numerical evaluation of aneurysmal aortic wall stress and strain di stribution. Parameters of the analysis were lumen eccentricity, thromb us Young's Modulus and the aortic wall constitutive equation. Results: There was a linear stress/strain for all the thrombus specimens. The numerical analyses show the mechanical behaviour of AAA as a function of lumen eccentricity and biomechanical parameters. Conclusions: Well organised thrombus reduces the effect of the pressure load on the aneu rysmal aortic wall.