Figure 3
From: Modeling lamellar disruption within the aortic wall using a particle-based approach
Stress increases in intra-lamellar regions due to disrupted medial elastic lamellae. (a) Three elastic lamellae, denoted middle, next outer, and next inner, are ruptured sequentially (steps I, II, and III; see red arrows), which increases the maximum circumferential stress at the outer (b) and inner (c) intra-lamellar particles. Horizontal dashed lines show the stress before disruption. Results are shown for 1–4 extents of disruption (angular sectors of 2°, 4°, 8°, and 20°; abscissa) and 3 luminal pressures (left-to-right). These increased stresses suggest that lamellar disruption can lead to damage of nearby SMCs, especially at higher pressures. Because rupture of the middle lamella alone does not induce a substantial increase in stress, remaining preserved lamellae may protect the intra-lamellar space against damage. Note that stresses are plotted transmurally, across the defect and not at the “tip” of the damaged region.
