Biomechanical Analysis of Arterial Tissue From Patient Suffering From Peripheral Artery Disease in the Lower Limb

Biomechanical Characterization of Atherosclerotic Arterial Tissue of the Femoralis Superficialis

The current treatment approaches for peripheral artery disease are largely unsatisfactory. Therefore, diseased tissue will be collected as well as patient-specific arterial geometries. The tissue will be tested microstructurally and mechanically to obtain data required to optimize treatment methods through in silico modeling.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a severe cause of morbidity in patients. Common treatment approaches are too often still unsatisfactory. Angioplasty is commonly followed by restenosis, caused by overloading of the arterial tissue. This study is aimed at improving this treatment approach through the in silico simulation of arterial remodeling after balloon expansion. Such simulations require the input of a patient-specific geometry and the mechanical properties of (diseased) arterial tissue.

Patients scheduled for an above knee lower limb amputation due to critical ischemia will be recruited in this study. After the surgery, the femoralis superficialis will be collected, as well as the CT or MR angiogram obtained before the surgery. The arterial tissue will be mechanically tested to obtain material properties and the medical image will be used to determine the arterial geometry. A correlation study will be carried out to explore the possibility of including a predictive simulation of the restenosis outcome of balloon angioplasty in the clinical practice.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients suffering from critical ischemia in the lower limb and undergoing above-knee amputation

Exclusion Criteria:

• The presence of any feature that will prevent tissue collection after the amputation