Effects of Wall Thickness on Stress Distribution in Patient-Specific Models of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

The knowledge of the wall stress distribution in an intact abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is required for assessing its risk of rupture. By simulation three dimensional (3D) models of AAA are usually generated in order to estimate the stress distribution. To evaluate the effects of wall thickness on AAA model reconstruction and stress distribution, herein we created and compared two 3D models of an individual AAA with either a uniform or variable wall thickness.The results revealed that wall thickness had a profound effect on peak wall stress location and magnitude, but little on stress distribution pattern. The preliminary study suggests that AAA model reconstruction based on a variable and virtual wall thickness will significantly improve prediction of rupture risk with respect to reliability and accuracy.