Blunt trauma and acute aortic syndrome: a three-layer finite-element model of the aortic wall☆☆☆

The exact process by which blunt trauma to the aorta produces a typical characteristic lesion set of primary, transverse, intimal injury remains unknown. The likely cause is a combination of intraluminal hypertension and mechanical deformation. We set about creating a three-layer finite-element model of the aorta. We hypothesised that deformation of the aorta through tension, torsion and bending would have differential effects on the constitutive layers of the aorta and this differential stress strain pattern would help to explain the mechanism of this injury.