| KEYWORD |
28- biomedica
Integrating High-Resolution Imaging and Mechanical Characterization to Predict Arterial Dissections in Calcified Femoropopliteal Arteries During Balloon Angioplasty
Tesi all'estero
Parole chiave 3D RECONSTRUCTION, COMPUTATIONAL MODELING, FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND SIMULATION, HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING, MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION, PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE
Riferimenti CLAUDIO CHIASTRA, DIEGO GALLO
Gruppi di ricerca 28- biomedica
Tipo tesi EXPERIMENTAL/MODELLING
Descrizione Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) in the femoropopliteal artery presents a considerable clinical challenge, with high morbidity, mortality, and a substantial incidence of repair failures. Arterial calcification, a prevalent complication in PAD, significantly increases the likelihood of treatment failure. One critical factor driving these failures is the occurrence of flow-limiting arterial dissections, which arise in more than half of calcified arteries following balloon angioplasty. Predicting the conditions under which dissections form could markedly improve the outcomes of PAD treatments. This project seeks to address this issue by developing a predictive computational model that integrates high-resolution imaging and mechanical characterization data from human lower extremity arteries. Specifically, this research will involve:
1. Mechanical Characterization: Conducting inflation-extension tests on diseased human femoropopliteal arteries to establish their mechanical properties.
2. High-Resolution Imaging: Utilizing μCT imaging to capture the structural changes in diseased arteries before, during, and after balloon angioplasty.
3. Computational Modeling: Developing finite element simulations of balloon angioplasty, informed by mechanical data and μCT-derived geometries, to predict the formation of arterial dissections.
4. Model Validation: Validating simulation outcomes against μCT imaging data obtained from angioplasty procedures.
Conoscenze richieste Continuum mechanics, FEA (Abaqus preferred), Mimics (for 3D reconstructions), Matlab/Python (for scripting and data analysis), proficient in English.
Note Students participating in this project will collaborate within a multidisciplinary team of mechanical, materials, and biomedical engineers, alongside vascular surgeons at the NIH Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics (CRiB) at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). CRiB manages one of the world’s largest biobanks of human lower extremity arteries, with samples from over 1,000 human subjects, and its researchers have extensively published on the mechanical and structural characterization of these tissues. This project offers students a unique opportunity to work directly with human artery specimens, develop and test medical devices, and engage in state-of-the-art experimental and computational research, all while collaborating with an innovative team of clinical and engineering experts.
Scadenza validita proposta 01/04/2025
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