An aortic dissection is a life-threatening splitting of the aortic wall, about which little is currently known. Researchers at Graz University of Technology have now developed algorithms and models to support early diagnosis and treatment.
In most cases, aortic dissections are triggered by a tear in the inner layer of the aortic wall, the intima. As a result, blood flows into the resulting gap and forms a so-called "false lumen", which fundamentally changes the mechanical load on the aortic wall. In the course of the aortic dissection, the resulting false lumen can rupture. However, a thrombus, i.e. a blood clot, can also form in the false lumen, which in the best case scenario fills the false lumen and can thus prevent more serious consequences. Despite the serious consequences, the causes of this disease cannot yet be fully explained and its course is difficult to predict.
Researchers at Graz University of Technology are working on changing this situation: Using computer-aided biomechanical methods, they want to make the development and progression of aortic dissections easier to explain. The project has now developed into a research focus in its own right.
Among other things, the researchers have developed a new, non-invasive method that uses existing imaging techniques to simplify the diagnosis of aortic dissections and medical monitoring. Simulations of blood flow dynamics have shown that this method can be used to predict the course of the disease more precisely and to examine the individual status of the dissection.
Source: TU Graz
