Aneurysmal Diseases of the Aorta: Clinical Aspects, Endo- vascular Treatment Options and Potential Mechanical Failure Mechanism

An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Aortic aneurysms are classified by their location on the aorta. Abdominal aortic aneurysms, (AAA) the most common form of aortic aneurysm, involve that segment of the aorta within the abdominal cavity. Thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms involve both the thoracic and abdominal aorta. The definitive treatment for an aortic aneurysm may be surgical or endovascular repair. The surgical approach involves exposure of the dilated portion of the aorta via an incision in the abdomen or abdomen and chest, followed by insertion of a synthetic graft (tube) to replace the diseased aorta. The graft is sewn in by hand to the non-diseased portions of the aorta; major branches are reattached to the synthetic graft.

Endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms is a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery repair. It involves placement of an endo-vascular stent graft through small incisions into the aorta. The endovascular stent graft consist of a modular multi components stents grafts that enable the clinician to treat the aortic aneurysm and to preserve the blood flow to the vital branches of the aorta. The hemodynamic physiological forces that work on these multi segment modular branched tubes are poorly understood.

In our study we will present a unique co-operation of clinical cutting edge technologies with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of pulsatile blood flow in some of the technics currently used in real life.

We are hoping that this collaboration will lead to a better understanding of failure mechanisms we are facing in clinical life.