A Finite Element Based Constrained Mixture Implementation for Arterial Growth Remodeling and Adaptation: Theory and Numerical Verification

摘要

We implemented a constrained mixture model of arterial growth and remodeling (G&R) in a nonlinear finite element framework to facilitate numerical analyses of diverse cases of arterial adaptation and maladaptation, including disease progression, resulting in complex evolving geometries and compositions. This model enables hypothesis testing by predicting consequences of postulated characteristics of cell and matrix turnover, including evolving quantities and orientations of fibrillar constituents and non-homogenous degradation of elastin or loss of smooth muscle function. The non-linear finite element formulation is general within the context of arterial mechanics, but we restricted our present numerical verification to cylindrical geometries to allow comparisons to prior results for two special cases: uniform transmural changes in mass and differential G&R within a two-layered cylindrical model of the human aorta. The present finite element model recovers the results of these simplified semi-inverse analyses with good agreement.