Planar Biaxial Characterization of Human Coronary and Carotid Arteries for Computational Modeling

Finite element analyses (FEA) provide contributions to clinical cardiovascular applications such as assessment of plaque vulnerability, the mechanical optimization of balloon angioplasty and stent deployment. However, FEA-predicted stresses for physiological and pathological states are dependent heavily on the accuracy of material models utilized. Thus, developing accurate quantitative descriptions for the multiaxial mechanical behavior of blood vessels is essential for developing accurate computational models for arterial stiffness.