Key result
CT image-based formulae accurately estimated the segment elastic moduli of a silicon rubber tube under physiological pressures, with errors ranging from 0.2% to 4.2% compared to tensile testing.
Why the study?
Aortic elasticity varies with age, vessel location, and disease, making noninvasive measurement desirable to understand aortic mechanical state in vivo.
A novel formula accurately estimates the elastic modulus of a silicon rubber tube from CT images, suggesting potential for noninvasive assessment of aortic elasticity.
OBJECTIVE: The elasticity of the aortic wall varies depending on age, vessel location, and the presence of aortic diseases. Noninvasive measurement will be a powerful tool to understand the mechanical state of the aorta in a living human body. This study aimed to determine the elastic modulus of the aorta using computed tomography images. METHODS: We constructed our original formulae based on mechanics of materials. Then, we performed computed tomography scans of a silicon rubber tube by applying four pressure conditions to the lumen. The segment elastic modulus was calculated from the scanned images using our formulae. The actual modulus was measured using a tensile loading test for comparison. RESULTS: The segment moduli of elasticity from the images were 0.525 [0.524, 0.527], 0.524 [0.520, 0.524], 0.520 [0.515, 0.523], and 0.522 [0.516, 0.532] (unit: MPa, median [25%, 75% quantiles]) for the four pressure conditions, respectively. The corresponding measurements in the tensile test were 0.548 [0.539, 0.566], 0.535 [0.528, 0.553], 0.526 [0.513, 0.543], and 0.523 [0.508, 0.530], respectively. These results indicated errors of 4.2%, 2.1%, 1.1%, and 0.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our formulae provided good estimations of the segment elastic moduli of a silicon rubber tube under physiological pressure conditions using the computed tomography images. SIGNIFICANCE: In addition to the elasticity, the formulae provide the strain energy as well. These properties can be better predictors of aortic diseases. The formulae consist of clinical parameters commonly used in medical settings (pressure, diameter, and wall thickness).
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Shirakawa et al. (2021) studied Aortic elasticity measurement. CT image-based calculation of elastic modulus vs. Tensile loading test was evaluated on Segment elastic modulus. CT image-based formulae accurately estimated the segment elastic moduli of a silicon rubber tube under physiological pressures, with errors ranging from 0.2% to 4.2% compared to tensile testing.
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