A Biphasic, Anisotropic Model of the Aortic Wall

Abstract

A biphasic, anisotropic elastic model of the aortic wall is developed and compared to literature values of experimental measurements of vessel wall radii, thickness, and hydraulic conductivity as a function of intraluminal pressure. The model gives good predictions using a constant wall modulus for pressures less than 60 mmHg, but requires a strain-dependent modulus for pressures greater than this. In both bovine and rabbit aorta, the tangential modulus is found to be approximately 20 times greater than the radial modulus. These moduli lead to predictions that, when perfused in a cylindrical geometry, the aortic volume and its specific hydraulic conductivity are relatively independent of perfusion pressure, in agreement with experimental measurements. M, the parameter that relates specific hydraulic conductivity to tissue dilation, is found to be a positive quantity correcting a previous error in the literature.