The structure of the arterial wall varies with location along the vascular tree, age, gender and disease. The abdominal aorta (AA) in man is a vulnerable artery prone to atherosclerosis as well as aneurysmatic dilation. The underlying aortic composition, mechanical properties as well as the mechanisms responsible for age-related changes and vascular disease are however largely unknown. The aims of this study were 1) to characterize the age- and gender-related changes of the aortic wall components in vivo, using a mechanical model based on ultrasound measurements of pulsatile aortic diameter changes combined with intra-arterial pressure; 2) to validate ultrasound measurements of diameter and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the AA in order to calculate wall stress; 3) to study the stress driven remodeling response of the aortic wall in healthy individuals and the influence of age and gender; and 4) to study wall stress and remodeling of the AA in diabetic patients…
Contents
INTRODUCTION
Structure of the arterial wall
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Diabetes mellitus
Gender differences
The study of arterial wall mechanics
AIMS
MATERIALS
Ethics
Healthy individuals (Paper I-IV)
Diabetic patients (Paper IV)
METHODS
Intima-media thickness and diameter measurement with ultrasound
(Paper I-II, IV)
Non-invasive blood pressure measurements (Paper I-II, IV)
Invasive blood pressure measurements (Paper III)
Non-invasive monitoring of diameter changes (Paper III)
Mechanical model for characterization of material parameters of the
aorta (Paper III)
Statistics Regulation of aortic wall mechanics and stress
RESULTS
Reproducibility of measurements (Paper I)
Wall stress in healthy individuals (Paper I-II)
Aortic material parameters in healthy individuals (Paper III)
Arterial circumferential wall stress in diabetes mellitus (Paper IV)
Stress-driven response in mechanical parameters
DISCUSSION
Material parameters of the abdominal aortic wall in man
Stress-driven remodeling response of large arteries
A link between diabetes and the protection from abdominal aortic
aneurysm formation
Methodological considerations and limitations
CONCLUSIONS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES
Author: Åstrand, Håkan
Source: Linköping University
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