Relationship between cerebral aneurysm wall stiffness and rupture risk

H Brunel,D Ambard,H Dufour,P H Roche,V Costalat,F Jourdan

doi:10.1080/10255842.2017.1382847

Abstract

Haemorrhage stroke is a major issue for public health care. The prevalence of intracranial aneurysms in the general population ranges between 3 and 6.6% (Wardlaw and White 2000). Fortunately, very few aneurysms rupture. The incidence of ruptured aneurysms is approximately 0.5% per year. However, patients are stressful and wants to be treated. But, endovascular treatment of unruptured aneurysms, which is the safest treatment, is not without risk and has about 1% mortality rate (Sluzewski et al. 2001). So, unruptured intracranial aneurysms represent a dilemma for the physicians. In 2011 (Costalat et al.), we have proposed an indicator base on the relationship between the mechanical properties of wall aneurysm tissues and the rupture risk. First conclusions suggested that the softer tissue is, the higher rupture risk is. The present study aims to confirm these results, initiates with only 16 samples, studying 26 more aneurysms.

Highlights

Haemorrhage stroke is a major issue for public health care
On average, unruptured aneurysms are stiffer than ruptured ones
The results show that some unruptured aneurysms have soft material properties

Summary

Introduction

Haemorrhage stroke is a major issue for public health care. The prevalence of intracranial aneurysms in the general population ranges between 3 and 6.6% (Wardlaw and White 2000). The incidence of ruptured aneurysms is approximately 0.5% per year. Endovascular treatment of unruptured aneurysms, which is the safest treatment, is not without risk and has about 1% mortality rate (Sluzewski et al 2001). Unruptured intracranial aneurysms represent a dilemma for the physicians. In 2011 (Costalat et al.), we have proposed an indicator base on the relationship between the mechanical properties of wall aneurysm tissues and the rupture risk. First conclusions suggested that the softer tissue is, the higher rupture risk is. The present study aims to confirm these results, initiates with only 16 samples, studying 26 more aneurysms

Biomechanical testing methodology

Patients and clinical data

Data post-processing: mechanical parameter identifications

Results and discussion

Conclusions