Modeling rupture of growing aneurysms

Growth and rupture of aneurysms are driven by micro-structural alterations of the arterial wall yet precise mechanisms underlying the process remain to be uncovered. In the present work we examine a scenario when the aneurysm evolution is dominated by turnover of collagen fibers. In the latter case it is natural to hypothesize that rupture of individual fibers (or their bonds) causes the overall aneurysm rupture. We examine this hypothesis in computer simulations of growing aneurysms in which constitutive equations describe both collagen evolution and failure. Failure is enforced in constitutive equations by limiting strain energy that can be accumulated in a fiber. Within the proposed theoretical framework we find a range of parameters that lead to the aneurysm rupture. We conclude in a qualitative agreement with clinical observations that some aneurysms will rupture while others will not. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.