Predicted stress components of an in vivo parameter identification method

A method for identifying mechanical properties of arterial tissue in vivo is used to predict the stress state of the human abdominal aorta. The parameter identification method accounts for the arterial wall constituents, namely the isotropic non-collagenous material and the anisotropic collagen fibres. This allows for the stress to be decoupled into three parts, one reaction stress arising from incompressibility, one linked to the isotropic and one to the anisotropic constituents. In order to analyse the accuracy of the predicted stress state, finite element arteries are created using published data. The stress state of these in silico arteries is calculated. Afterwards the mechanical properties of these in silico arteries are identified and the decoupled stress state is predicted. The comparison of predicted with in silico stress state shows a high agreement in the circumferential direction and larger differences for the reaction stress and in the axial direction.