Biomechanical prediction of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture risk: Sensitivity analysis

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to determine the quantitative relationship between the peak wall stress of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and its clinical risk factors including its maximum diameter, asymmetry index, wall thickness and abnormal high blood pressure. Methods: The response surface experimental design with one response and four variables was used to design the experimental tests. Thirty experiments were performed through finite element analysis in order to obtain the designed response values. Results: A nonlinear multivariable regression function was developed based on the experimental data. Results demonstrated the inefficiency of traditional 5-cm criterion for estimating the rupture of AAA. The profound effect of wall thickness on the peak wall stress has been observed and validated by the existing publications. Conclusion: The conventional 5-cm criterion for estimating AAA rupture might induce biased prediction, and multiple clinical risk factors need to be considered in realistic clinical settings.