Modeling biological growth of human keratoconus: On the effect of tissue degradation, location and size

Fantaci, Benedetta (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Calvo, Begoña (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Rodríguez, José Félix

Resumen: Keratoconus is a non-inflammatory bilateral disease, that usually occurs in the inferior-temporal region, where the cornea bulges out and becomes thinner, due to the gradual loss of structural organization in corneal tissue. Degenerated extracellular matrix and fibers breakage have been observed in keratoconic corneas, that may promote the progression of the pathology. While keratoconus histopathology has been widely described in literature, its etiology is still not clear. Being able to fully understand keratoconus growing process could be crucial to detect its development and improve prevention strategies. This work proposes a novel continuum-based keratoconus growth model. The proposed framework accounts for the structural changes occurring in the underlying tissue during the progression of the disease, as indicated in experiments. The developed formulation is able to replicate the typical bulging and thinning of keratoconic corneas, as well as different forms in terms of shape, as they are commonly classified in clinics (nipple, oval and globus cones). The cone that is obtained constitutes a permanent deformed state, not pressure dependent. The resulting model may help to better understand the etiology of the behavior of this disease with the aim of improving the diagnosis and the treatment of the pathology.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108976

Año: 2024

Publicado en: Computers in biology and medicine 180 (2024), 108976 [12 pp.]
ISSN: 0010-4825

Factor impacto JCR: 6.3 (2024)

Categ. JCR: BIOLOGY rank: 7 / 107 = 0.065 (2024) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: MATHEMATICAL & COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY rank: 4 / 67 = 0.06 (2024) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL rank: 22 / 124 = 0.177 (2024) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS rank: 26 / 175 = 0.149 (2024) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.447 - Health Informatics (Q1) - Computer Science Applications (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T24-23R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/956720/EU/Opto-Biomechanical Eye Research Network/OBERON
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/ICTS NANBIOSIS-U27 Unit-CIBER-BBN

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Mec.Med.Cont. y Teor.Est. (Dpto. Ingeniería Mecánica)