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Objective

Tortuosity comes with higher displacement forces in the aorta. As the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) is becoming longer and more tortuous with age, it is important to understand the influence of tortuosity on displacement forces in the DTA.

Methods

Computational fluid dynamics was used to measure displacement forces in patients with DTA aneurysm. Twenty-nine computed tomography angiography scans were collected, and image segmentation was carried out to retrieve their three-dimensional representation. The DTA was divided into four equal zones, and there were three different groups of angulation where the displacement forces were measured: low (< 30 degrees), moderate (30-60 degrees), and high (> 60 degrees; Fig). The displacement force was normalized by the aortic wall surface, called the equivalent surface traction.

Results

The equivalent surface traction was not significant in zone 1 …