Numerical Study of Aortic Growth and Remodeling Subjected to Hypoxia

Abstract

The arterial wall is capable of modifying its shape, structure, and properties in the face of external perturbations such as aging, cardiovascular diseases, and surgical interventions. These alterations are defined as growth and remodeling (G&R) phenomena, which are triggered to maintain a state of mechanical homeostasis. To investigate these effects, a numerical-computational study related with the implementation and characterization of a mechanobiological model is presented: the constrained mixture model for growth and remodeling (G&R-CMM). Regarding characterization, available experimental information from biomechanical tests on arteries subjected to hypobaric hypoxia (HH) condition is used. The main results show the determination of the G&R-CMM parameters, which are correlated with the experimental information, describing the evolution from a condition without HH until the hypoxia effect develops.