Arterial Tissue in Health and Disease: Experimental Data, Collagen-Based Modeling and Simulation, Including Aortic Dissection

The biomechanical and mechanobiological investigation of human arterial walls in health and disease is vital for improving the explanation of their function on the basis of their structure and mechanics. This chapter deals with human arterial tissue from the perspective of experiments, constitutive modeling and computation. Experimental data for arterial tissue are provided that serve as a basis for the development of three-dimensional material models, and explicit expressions for the arterial stress response are presented in a form appropriate for their implementation in nonlinear finite element programs. Aortic dissections, which are among the most devastating forms of cardiovascular diseases, are discussed in detail; in particular, the failure properties of the aorta and the associated constitutive and computational framework. Finally, plaque fissuring and dissection following balloon angioplasty is investigated on a patient-specific atherosclerotic plaque. These failure mechanisms are known to contribute to the lumen enlargement due to balloon angioplasty.