A new approach to define the in-vivo mechanical behavior of large vessels from medical imaging (IMeC – In-vivo Mechanical Characterization)
Patient-specific computational models have been widely developed over the last decades with the aim to predict the efficacy of minimally invasive cardiovascular interventions such as valve replacement in large vessels via catheter. However, the complete integration of such numerical tools into the planning phase of procedures is still far. A crucial limitation is represented by the unavailability of the exact in-vivo material properties of the implantation site at a patient-specific level.
This lack of information is somehow limiting the validity of in-silico models. The aim of this research is to define, refine and validate a tool able to estimate the in-vivo mechanical characteristics of patient-specific large vessels based on the imaging routinely acquired in patients scheduled for catheter-based cardiovascular procedures. In a close future, such a tool would significantly ease the integration of in-silico modeling in the clinical routine.