Luka Pocivavsek
University of Chicago, IL·Biomedical Engineering
An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, the body's main artery. Blood then forces the layers of the wall apart.
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Medicine & Clinical Research
Mathematics & Statistics
- Topics
aortic dissection
aorta
vascular surgery
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jun 2027
What they work on
- Develop a geometric classification of aortic shapes by using computer-vision tools to reduce CTA scans of normal and dissected aortas to distributions of shape index and curvedness, two measures of surface form.
- Build morphoelastic finite element models, simulations of growing and deforming tissue, to uncover the mechanics driving shape change in type B aortic dissections, and validate them on patient-specific geometries over time.
- Create a successor to the maximum-diameter measure by combining geometric, finite element and physiologic factors with linear and nonlinear dimensionality reduction to define aortic shape sub-spaces for clinical scenarios.
More about the research
In type B dissections, which affect the aorta downstream of the heart, doctors struggle to predict whether a patient's aorta will stay stable or worsen. The usual guide is the aorta's maximum diameter. That single number often fails to capture risk, which makes it hard to decide between surgery and medical management.
Why it matters
Type B aortic dissection evolves unpredictably, and choosing between surgery and medical treatment is difficult. Shape- and mechanics-based measures drawn from routine CTA scans could give surgeons and patients a sharper way to judge aortic fragility. They could also help guide the timing of intervention. Such tools may enable personalized risk assessment and better outcomes for patients with this cardiovascular condition.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
David Alan Vorp
University of Pittsburgh, PA·Biomedical Engineering
Test whether bulk tissue mass density predicts local tensile strength in human thoracic aortic aneurysm tissue, extending a density-strength relationship the team validated in porcine aorta.
Dogukan Mizrak
University of Michigan, MI·Medicine & Clinical Research
Define the molecular triggers and downstream effects of CART signaling in human aortic smooth muscle cells in vitro, testing whether it drives wall remodeling and medial calcification, mineral buildup that stiffens the artery.
Cherice Hill
University of Rochester, NY·Biomedical Engineering·Early-career
Measure mechanical properties, such as stiffness, of the human temporomandibular lateral capsule-ligament (LCL) complex, and test for differences between females and males and between African American and white donors.
The school
University of Chicago: 39 labs on PI Pages, $681M a year on research, 457 research doctorates a year.
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