An in vitro experimental evaluation of the displacement field in an intracranial aneurysm model

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to develop a system able to study experimentally the displace-ment field of an in vitro intracranial aneurysm. Origin and growth of aneurysms is the result of a complex interaction between biological processes in the arterial wall and the involved hemo-dynamic phenomena’s. Once the aneurysm forms, the repetitive pressure and shear stresses exerted by the blood flow on the debilitated arterial wall can cause a gradual expansion. One promising method to evaluate and measure this expansion is to use optical field experimental techniques, such as interferometry. In this work the Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry was used to evaluate the deformation occurred on an intracranial aneurysm model fabricated in polydimensiloxane (PDMS) by using a 3D printer combined with a soft lithography tech-nique.