Segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) is an asymptomatic, non-atherosclerotic and non-inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. It affects medium-sized arteries and is characterized by vacuolization and lysis at the level of the media which can lead to dissection, steno-occlusion, or an aneurysm. In this article, a simulation of fluid-structure interaction in an artery altered by segmental mediolysis was reported. The study showed that the reduction in elasticity of the media layer of the artery due to the deterioration of collagen has little influence on the velocity field, the pressure field as well as on the deformations of the artery, thus conferring a silent and asymptomatic character to the pathology. The Von-Mises stress is very high at the level of the intima which can lead to arterial dissection with the appearance of a false channel. An increase in the Von-Mises stress of around 375 % was predicted by the COMSOL code. The combined effect of mediolysis and the increase in blood pressure causes increases in the Von-Mises stress at the level of the intima and the adventitia which are respectively 6.10 and 4.62 times greater than those of the healthy artery, which demonstrates that hypertension could be a determining factor in triggering arterial dissection.
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