Improvements in Rupture Prediction of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Using Local Mechanical Property Estimation Obtained From ECG-Gated Computed Tomography

Cardiovascular disease concerns any disease which affects the heart or blood vessels. Aneurysms account for a significant portion of these cardiovascular diseases. The most common type of aneurysm is abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) which affects up to 5% of the population over the age of 55. AAA is a focal balloon like dilation of the terminal aorta that occurs gradually over a span of years [1]. There are approximately 200,000 patients in the US and 500,000 patients worldwide diagnosed with AAA each year [2]. The incidences of AAA’s has increased largely during the past two decades due in part to the aging demographic, the rise in the number of smokers, the introduction of screening programmes and improved diagnostic tools [3].