Samuel Alberg Kock1, Jens Vinge Nygaard2, Anders Niemann1, Anette Klrke3, Nikolaj Eldrup3, Sren Dalager4, William Paaske3, Won Yong Kim1,5
1MR-Center, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Aarhus, DK, Denmark; 2Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK, Denmark; 3Dept. of Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Aarhus, DK, Denmark; 4Dept. of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, DK, Denmark; 5Dept. of Cardiology B, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Aarhus, DK, Denmark
Mechanical stress levels were calculated using computational fluid dynamics simulations based on MRI data in nineteen symptomatic carotid patients using an improved method allowing for fast simulations in clinically relevant simulation times. Stress levels were compared to known predictors of plaque vulnerability and shown to correlate significantly with fibrous cap thickness and the degree of stenosis. Evaluation of longitudinal mechanical stress levels may improve risk assessment in patients with carotid atherosclerosis.