In vivo vascular modelling of abdominal aorta based on 3D speckle tracking analysis*

Background: Computational methods have been widely used to provide insight into the biomechanics of systems, such as the cardiovascular system and to predict their behaviour. These methods can augment the data provided by in vivo methods, such as ultrasound. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography has been introduced in clinical practice, which enables assessment of myocardial deformation parameters. However, 3D wall motion tracking (WMT) based on ultrasound imaging should be able to estimate arterial wall motion and deformation, providing important insights into arterial mechanics and…