Interactions With Spine During Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Enlargement and its Biomechanical Effects

The role of spine and other surrounding tissues as geometrical constraints on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) enlargement has been suggested [1] but its biomechanical effects among patients have not been thoroughly investigated yet. In this study, we use longitudinal CT images obtained from AAA follow-up studies and investigate geometrical features and their changes indicating interactions with spine during the progression of AAAs. We also study biomechanical effects of the interaction with spine on the AAA enlargement and stress distribution using growth and remodeling (G&R) model of AAAs.