{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T19:34:08Z","timestamp":1770752048343,"version":"3.50.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770681600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"\u201cFCT Projetos I&D\u201d of the \u201cFunda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia\u201d","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PTDC\/EMD-EMD\/1230\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PTDC\/EMD-EMD\/1230\/2021"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Degraded mechanical properties in the aortic wall can lead to the formation of aortic aneurysms, potentially resulting in life-threatening ruptures. Current diagnostic criteria using maximum aortic diameter often fail to predict this critical moment, underscoring the need for more accurate patient-based prediction methods. A hospital-compatible experimental apparatus was designed for quasi-static ex vivo inflation testing of intact Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (ATAA) specimens with 360\u00b0 full-field three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). Given hospital handling constraints, liquid pressurization was not feasible; instead, pressure was applied via a balloon-driven pneumatic system, and synchronized stereo imaging was used to measure surface displacement fields between 80 and 120 mmHg. The system was validated using a CT-derived ATAA silicone phantom. Full-field displacement measurements showed close agreement with finite element simulations, supporting the mechanical reliability of the apparatus and the repeatability of the measurement workflow. In addition, a frozen\u2013thawed healthy porcine thoracic aorta was tested to demonstrate biological feasibility, particularly regarding the speckle application and DIC tracking, without aiming to extract tissue constitutive parameters. Overall, the setup provides a practical framework for acquiring full-field inflation-induced deformation data from intact aortic specimens in a hospital setting, enabling future studies on resected human ATAA tissue and model calibration that may contribute to more accurate methods for rupture prediction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering13020199","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T11:16:38Z","timestamp":1770722198000},"page":"199","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Novel Experimental Setup for Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Inflation Testing"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-3453-7826","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo Mesquita","family":"Vasconcelos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Daniela","family":"Azevedo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0871-0683","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Valente","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidade de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Desenvolvimento em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Industrial (UNIDEMI), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4520-3891","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro J.","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5450-5843","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiago","family":"Domingues","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8631-6529","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Susana","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8620-9141","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rog\u00e9rio F. F.","family":"Lopes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1356-8319","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gon\u00e7alo P.","family":"Cipriano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9144-2669","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ant\u00f3nio","family":"Tom\u00e1s","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Santa Marta Hospital, Rua de Santa Marta, 1169-024 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6592-3063","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo J.","family":"Tavares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7836-4598","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Xavier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidade de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Desenvolvimento em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Industrial (UNIDEMI), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio Associado de Sistemas Inteligentes(LASI), Campus de Azur\u00e9m, Universidade do Minho, 4800-058 Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1127-2525","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro M. G. P.","family":"Moreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, R. Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"932","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ahj.2013.02.028","article-title":"Temporal trends in sudden unexpected death in a general population: The Hisayama Study","volume":"165","author":"Nagata","year":"2013","journal-title":"Am. Heart J."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1111\/acem.12080","article-title":"Systematic Review: Emergency Department Bedside Ultrasonography for Diagnosing Suspected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm","volume":"20","author":"Rubano","year":"2013","journal-title":"Acad. Emerg. Med."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1438","DOI":"10.1007\/s10439-010-0236-7","article-title":"Linear and Nonlinear Viscoelastic Modeling of Aorta and Carotid Pressure\u2013Area Dynamics Under In Vivo and Ex Vivo Conditions","volume":"39","author":"Bia","year":"2011","journal-title":"Ann. Biomed. Eng."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Valente, R., Mourato, A., Xavier, J., Sousa, P., Domingues, T., Tavares, P., Avril, S., Tom\u00e1s, A., and Fragata, J. (2024). Experimental Protocols to Test Aortic Soft Tissues: A Systematic Review. Bioengineering, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering11080745"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Matsumoto, T., Sugita, S., and Yaguchi, T. (2015). Biomechanics of Blood Vessels: Structure, Mechanics, and Adaptation. Advances in Metallic Biomaterials, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-662-46836-4_4"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rosendorff, C. (2013). Essential Cardiology: Principles and Practice, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4614-6705-2"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mourato, A., Valente, R., Xavier, J., Brito, M., Avril, S., de S\u00e1, J.C., Tom\u00e1s, A., and Fragata, J. (2022). Computational Modelling and Simulation of Fluid Structure Interaction in Aortic Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Discussion of the Clinical Potential. Appl. Sci., 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/app12168049"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"(2024, July 11). Aneurysm. Available online: https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/aneurysm."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1738","DOI":"10.1080\/10255842.2016.1183125","article-title":"Mechanical analysis of the ring opening test applied to human ascending aortas","volume":"19","author":"Bustos","year":"2016","journal-title":"Comput. Methods Biomech. Biomed. Eng."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1016\/0021-9290(83)90044-1","article-title":"Failure properties of passive human aortic tissue. II\u2014Biaxial tension tests","volume":"16","author":"Mohan","year":"1983","journal-title":"J. Biomech."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"091005","DOI":"10.1115\/1.4044227","article-title":"Iliac Veins Are More Compressible Than Iliac Arteries: A New Method of Testing","volume":"141","author":"Brass","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Biomech. Eng."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1941","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbiomech.2011.04.022","article-title":"Circumferential variations of mechanical behavior of the porcine thoracic aorta during the inflation test","volume":"44","author":"Kim","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Biomech."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"44","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmbbm.2012.08.004","article-title":"Mechanical characterization of human aortas from pressurization testing and a paradigm shift for circumferential residual stress","volume":"17","author":"Labrosse","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"607","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbiomech.2013.12.012","article-title":"In vitro analysis of localized aneurysm rupture","volume":"47","author":"Romo","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Biomech."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1007\/s10558-006-9021-5","article-title":"Elastic and Rupture Properties of Porcine Aortic Tissue Measured Using Inflation Testing","volume":"6","author":"Marra","year":"2006","journal-title":"Cardiovasc. Eng."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1455","DOI":"10.1007\/s11340-021-00746-1","article-title":"Multi-view Digital Image Correlation Systems for In Vitro Testing of Arteries from Mice to Humans","volume":"61","author":"Genovese","year":"2021","journal-title":"Exp. Mech."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"071005","DOI":"10.1115\/1.4033674","article-title":"Novel Methodology for Characterizing Regional Variations in the Material Properties of Murine Aortas","volume":"138","author":"Bersi","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Biomech. Eng."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.3390\/biomechanics2020016","article-title":"Fluid\u2013Structure Interaction Modeling of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms in SimVascular","volume":"2","author":"Valente","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biomechanics"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmbbm.2015.01.023","article-title":"Constitutive modeling of human saphenous veins at overloading pressures","volume":"45","author":"Chlup","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"075019","DOI":"10.1063\/1.5108852","article-title":"Photoacoustic identification of blood vessel deformation under pressure","volume":"9","author":"Zhang","year":"2019","journal-title":"AIP Adv."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"(2024, May 27). EcoflexTM 00-30 Product Information. Available online: https:\/\/www.smooth-on.com\/products\/ecoflex-00-30\/."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"(2024, July 15). VIC-3D. Available online: https:\/\/www.correlatedsolutions.com\/vic-3d."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"(2024, November 20). Hansa Studio Catalogue. Available online: https:\/\/hansastuudio.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2019-product-catalogue-Eng.pdf."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.1515\/cdbme-2016-0109","article-title":"Fabrication of a compliant phantom of the human aortic arch for use in Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experimentation","volume":"2","author":"Geoghegan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Curr. Dir. Biomed. Eng."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"Dow Chemical Company (2024, November 20). SYLGARDTM 184 Silicone Elastomer. Available online: https:\/\/www.dow.com\/en-us\/pdp.sylgard-184-silicone-elastomer-kit.01064291z.html#overview."},{"key":"ref_26","unstructured":"Dow Corning (2024, November 20). SYLGARD\u00ae 184 Silicone Elastomer. Available online: https:\/\/www.aerospheres.com\/products\/consumables\/dc-184-skylard-0-5kg-kit\/?srsltid=AfmBOoqTW76fhi4caDf6bhmy4XHFh523KH7-7vUNGY-zQXPxCnm9qN-n."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"HB Qu\u00edmica (2024, November 20). HB Flex 5400 Technical Data Sheet. Available online: https:\/\/www.hbchemical.com\/products\/masterbatch\/."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"(2021). Standard Test Methods for Vulcanized Rubber and Thermoplastic Elastomers\u2014Tension (Standard No. ASTM D412-16)."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lin, P.-S., Bretagne, O.L.R.d., Grasso, M., Brighton, J., StLeger-Harris, C., and Carless, O. (2023). Comparative Analysis of Various Hyperelastic Models and Element Types for Finite Element Analysis. Designs, 7.","DOI":"10.3390\/designs7060135"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108246","DOI":"10.1016\/j.polymertesting.2023.108246","article-title":"Biaxial experimental characterizations of soft polymers: A review","volume":"128","author":"Esmaeili","year":"2023","journal-title":"Polym. Test."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"(2024, September 17). ABAQUS Theory Manual (v6.6). Available online: https:\/\/classes.engineering.wustl.edu\/2009\/spring\/mase5513\/abaqus\/docs\/v6.6\/books\/stm\/default.htm."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19090","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-98694-2","article-title":"Mechanical properties of bulk Sylgard 184 and its extension with silicone oil","volume":"11","author":"Pata","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1161\/01.RES.23.1.61","article-title":"Compressibility of the Arterial Wall","volume":"23","author":"Carew","year":"1968","journal-title":"Circ. Res."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"20","article-title":"Determination of an Effective Shear Modulus of Aorta","volume":"1","author":"Vossoughi","year":"1998","journal-title":"Pocc\u0438\u0439c\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0416yp\u043da\u043b \u0411\u0438o\u043cexa\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Karpik, A., Cosco, F., and Mundo, D. (2023). Higher-Order Hexahedral Finite Elements for Structural Dynamics: A Comparative Review. Machines, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/machines11030326"}],"container-title":["Bioengineering"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2306-5354\/13\/2\/199\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T11:54:16Z","timestamp":1770724456000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2306-5354\/13\/2\/199"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]},"references-count":35,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]}},"alternative-id":["bioengineering13020199"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/bioengineering13020199","relation":{},"ISSN":["2306-5354"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2306-5354","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]]}}}