Patient-Specific Mechanical Characterization Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Using 4D Ultrasound

Introduction: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are silent killers and the 13th cause of death in Western society. In this study, methods for wall stress analysis (WSA) and elastography (EL) were developed using 4D ultrasound (US) to determine patient-specific wall stresses and material properties. These techniques were introduced in the clinic and tested in a subgroup of patients in an ongoing study with 300 patients in follow-up. Methods: In forty patients (AAA diameter 27 – 52 mm), 4D-US data were measured using a Philips iU22 (X6 – 1 transducer). The brachial blood pressure was measured using an arm cuff. The…