A computational model to predict aortic wall stresses in patients with systolic arterial hypertension

The calculated values of peak wall stress are far lower to those of failure strength of healthy aortic wall specimens estimated by ex vivo mechanical testing (121.0 N/cm2). Our values are consistent with prior stress values predicted by experimental studies. The described methodology offers a significant advancement in incorporating biomechanical principles in the clinical assessment of hypertensive patients with normal or aneurysmatic aortas and can be applied in a patient-specific basis in both conditions in order to detect the vulnerable high stressed regions and the resultant risk of aortic dissection or rupture. We hypothesize that this could assist in deciding the timing of surgical intervention, especially in high-risk patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms.