Revolutionary vascular health assessment
Regions of Aortic Weakness
ViTAA has developed an algorithm using existing non-invasive cardiac gated CT scans to determine regions of vulnerability using our proprietary Regions of Aortic Weakness (RAW) Maps.
The ViTAA RAW Maps system creates a patient-specific map that links tissue strength to localized aneurysm degeneration. The literature has reported that the aneurysm sac is highly heterogeneous with respect to factors such as localized regions of high deformation during the cardiac cycle and localized intraluminal thrombus burden, suggesting that better understanding these regions could aid in the risk assessment₍₁ ₂₎.
The RAW index co-localizes areas of flow disturbances, abnormal deformation and intraluminal thrombus deposition. These factors have been independently linked to rapid growth₍₂ ₃ ₄ ₅₎.
The RAW score methodology is described in Forneris et. al., 2021. The RAW method was validated in a study of 22 patients undergoing either open repair or endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), confirming the ability to identify weak areas.
In addition, ViTAA’s researchers, Forneris et. al., 2020, reported on a case that exemplifies the impact of its algorithms in being able to preoperatively identify rupture location in a patient undergoing emergency surgery for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
₂ Haller, S.J., et al. Intraluminal thrombus is associated with early rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Journal of Vascular Surgery 67, 1051-1058.e1051 (2018).
₃ Zambrano, B.A., et al. Association of Intraluminal Thrombus, Hemodynamic Forces, and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Expansion Using Longitudinal CT Images. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 44, 1502-1514 (2016).
₄ Boyd, A.J., Kuhn, D.C.S., Lozowy, R.J. & Kulbisky, G.P. Low wall shear stress predominates at sites of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. Journal of Vascular Surgery 63, 1613-1619 (2016).
₅ Meyrignac, O., et al. Combining Volumetric and Wall Shear Stress Analysis from CT to Assess Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression. Radiology 295, 722-729 (2020).
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