Aneurysm

Aneurysms are a local dilation of a blood vessel and can occur in any artery, but they predominately develop in the aorta. New methods of predicting which patients suffering from aortic aneurysm are at risk of rupture are urgently needed. Since 2005, we have been working on developing new methods to predict this risk in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and more recently in common iliac artery aneurysm (CIAA). We have recently demonstrated for the first time that our computational biomechanics methods can add real value to the clinical management.

In AAA, this is achieved by creating high-fidelity 3D reconstructions from medical images and then calculating the risk of rupture using a combination of the finite element method and statistical analyses. We believe that these methods provide a more complete patient-specific understanding of risk and will help improve patient outcomes.

In CIAA, we have identified a shape-based classification system where certain aneurysm shapes appear to be more, or less, likely to rupture. We also found that in patients with CIAA, the abdominal aorta appears to remodel and shift sideways towards the same side as the CIAA. The current clinical guidelines around CIAA are unclear and we aim to provide further insights in the disease.