Abstract: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) have a pooled global prevalence of 4.8% and are most common in men 65 years or older. Small AAAs (<4 cm) are commonly asymptomatic and pose little danger, while larger AAAs have a significant risk of fatal rupture that increases with increasing aneurysm diameter. Despite decades of research elucidating the histologic and biochemical features of AAA evolution, clinicians have relatively little capacity to predict or modify AAA progression in practice - we are lacking an understanding of AAA progression on a patient-specific basis, informed by factors readily assessed during periodic imaging-based surveillance. In his talk, Dr Leach will review the current state-of-the-art in clinical AAA evaluation, and present ongoing research on a comprehensive AAA assessment in which aneurysm measurement is augmented by advanced imaging-based measures of aneurysm inflammation, biomechanics, and higher-order morphologic features. 

Bio: Joseph R Leach, MD PhD is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Leach obtained his PhD in Bioengineering in 2009 from University of California –Berkeley, and completed medical school, residency, and a fellowship in abdominal imaging at UCSF prior to joining the faculty in 2018. Dr. Leach has broad clinical and research interests in vascular disease and applies advanced imaging techniques and imaging-based biomechanical modeling to better understand factors influencing disease initiation, progression, and patient outcomes. Outside of the hospital, Dr. Leach enjoys cooking for his wife, Joyce and their cats Jacks and Nigel, and is a lifelong musician and terrible dancer.

~BME Host: Vitaliy Rayz~