The Effect of Carotid Plaque Morphology on Longitudinal Fibrous Cap Stress Levels

作     者：Samuel A.Thrysoe Anders F.Stegmann Nikolaj Eldrup Anette Kl■rke William Paaske Won Yong Kim Jens V.Nygaard 

作者机构：MR-CenterAarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery TAarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark Department of CardiologyAarhus University HospitalAarhusDenmark Aarhus School of EngineeringAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark 

出 版 物：《World Journal of Mechanics》 (力学国际期刊（英文）)

年 卷 期：2012年第2卷第4期

页      面：216-223页

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100214[医学-肿瘤学] 10[医学] 

基　　金：WYK was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation 

主　　题：Atherosclerosis Carotid Artery Fluid Structure Interaction Plaque Rupture Stroke 

摘      要：Background and Purpose: Rupture of vulnerable carotid atherosclerotic plaques is a major cause of stroke. Stress levels may reflect risk of rupture in patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Features thought to influence the risk of plaque rupture include the degree of stenosis, lipid-rich necrotic core (LR-NC) size, and thickness of the protective fibrous caps. We used computational models to investigate the effect of these variables on fibrous cap stress levels. Methods: Two-way coupled fluid-structure interaction longitudinal 2D simulations were performed on a bifurcation model based on idealized geometry derived from a symptomatic patient. Models with varying degrees of stenosis (50%-95%), fibrous cap thicknesses (0.05-1 mm), and LR-NC sizes (2 × 1 mm-6 × 3 mm) were simulated. The stress distribution for each model was calculated and peak principal stresses extracted. Regression analysis was used for assessing the relationship between the variables and stress levels. Results: Mechanical stresses increased with decreasing fibrous cap thicknesses ( β= -0.905, p Conclusions: Thin-capped plaques with large atheromas, known predictors of plaque vulnerability, were shown to exhibit the greatest mechanical stress levels.