Consequences of the presence of atherosclerotic lesions within the thoracic aorta during a car crash — a finite element method study

Atherosclerosis has been shown to alter vascular properties and predispose to injury. Blunt aortic trauma (BAT) is responsible for 20% of vehicle-related deaths. This work aims to demonstrate and better understand the biomechanics of the aorta with and without atherosclerotic changes during a frontal car crash using a finite element method (FEM). Secondarily, the influence of blood pressure was evaluated. A FEM model was created with an ANSYS system based on computed tomography images of 44 patients.The distribution of stress and deformation varies according to the stage of atherosclerotic disease. Finally, at a speed of 30 km/h, an aortic rupture occurs. The presence of a calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the thoracic aorta at an advanced and calcified stage increases its susceptibility to rupture during a car crash. No effect of blood pressure on aortic biomechanics was observed.