Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are among the worldwide leading causes of death. Standard MRI and ultrasonography cannot predict the risk of life-threatening AAA rupture. The ECM composition and therefore the stiffness of the aortic wall changes during AAA development and progression. Therefore, we investigated AAA stiffness in murine tissue samples using MR elastography with an in-plane resolution of 40 microns. Compared to healthy aorta, we found an increase of vessel wall stiffness in AAA of approximately 20% and an excellent correlation of histology-quantified ECM accumulation with thrombus stiffness.
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