Abstract
An aneurysm is a vascular disease characterized by local ballooning of an arterial wall. The etiology of aneurysm formation is thought to be due to remodeling of blood vessel wall in response to hemodynamics. Changes in vessel geometry and mechanical properties of blood vessel wall induce alteration in the pattern of hemodynamics which then provides new mechanical stimuli to the vessel wall to cause further wall remodeling. We carried out a computer simulation of the geometric change in the aorta with considering the interaction between hemodynamics and aortic wall to see how the aortic geometry changes when mechanical properties change and the wall grows in response to hemodynamics. A mechanical behavior of an aortic wall is depicted as a combination of continuum model and discrete elements model. The influence of hemodynamics on the wall is expressed by a remodeling model that alters mechanical properties and provides growth of the wall based on wall shear stress (WSS). Remodeling of the aortic wall is expressed by altering mechanical properties and providing wall growth. The results demonstrated formation of the fusiform aneurysm at the proximal side of the aortic arch.
