Mechanical characterisation of human ascending aorta dissection

Abstract Mechanical characteristics of both the healthy ascending aorta and acute type A aortic dissection were investigated using in vitro biaxial tensile tests, in vivo measurements via transoesophageal echocardiography and histological characterisations. This combination of analysis at tissular, structural and microstructural levels highlighted the following: i) a linear mechanical response for the dissected intimomedial flap and, conversely, nonlinear behaviour for both healthy and dissected ascending aorta; all showed anisotropy; ii) a stiffer mechanical response in the longitudinal than in the circumferential direction for the healthy ascending aorta, consistent with the histological quantification of collagen and elastin fibre density; iii) a link between dissection and ascending aorta stiffening, as revealed by biaxial tensile tests. This result was corroborated by in vivo measurements with stiffness index, β , and Peterson modulus, E p , higher for patients with dissection than for control patients. It was consistent with histological analysis on dissected samples showing elastin fibre dislocations, reduced elastin density and increased collagen density. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report biaxial tensile tests on the dissected intimomedial flap and in vivo stiffness measurements of acute type A dissection in humans.