1. Is There a Role for Biomechanical Engineering in Helping to Elucidate the Risk Profile of the Thoracic Aorta? 
Giampaolo Martufi, PhD, Arianna Forneris, MS, Jehangir J. Appoo, MDCM, Elena S. Di Martino, PhD 
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery 
Volume 101, Issue 1, Pages (January 2016)
DOI: /j.athoracsur
Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Terms and Conditions

2. Fig 1
Four-phase flow diagram shows the number of identified articles, excluded studies, and included studies.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.athoracsur )
Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Terms and Conditions

3. Fig 2
Mechanical loading state of aortic tissue shows circumferential, axial, radial, and wall shear stresses in the aortic wall.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.athoracsur )
Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Terms and Conditions

4. Fig 3
Schematic representation shows the cascade of events that may lead from a healthy aortic wall to aneurysm formation and catastrophic rupture. (A) Recirculation and flow disturbances create low and oscillatory wall shear stress patterns that may promote wall damage and further dilatation. (B) Changes in the mechanical environment cause elevated stress in the aortic wall, which in turn may lead to histologic changes and weakening of the wall. (C) When the stress acting on the aortic wall exceeds the strength of the wall, rupture ensues.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.athoracsur )
Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Terms and Conditions

5. Fig 4
Schematic workflow for stress analysis of a descending thoracic aneurysm: (A) image processing and segmentation; (B) three-dimensional geometry and mesh discretization; and (C) stress prediction computed with FEAP 8.0 (University of California, Berkeley) finite element software using the constitutive model described by Martufi and Gasser [48].
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /j.athoracsur )
Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Terms and Conditions