Coronary artery WSS profiling using a geometry reconstruction based on biplane angiography

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions from imaging modalities are used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to obtain hemodynamic data.
• The accuracy of these reconstructions and subsequent hemodynamic parameter assessments can vary with the imaging technique used.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of 3D geometry reconstruction from biplane angiography for left coronary artery (LCA) modeling.
• To compare wall shear stress (WSS) profiling derived from biplane angiography-based CFD simulations with other imaging modalities.

Main Methods:

• A silicon model of the LCA was imaged using biplane angiography.
• 3D geometry reconstruction was performed using CAAS 5.2 QCA 3D software and compared to an optically digitized post-mortem vessel cast.
• Steady flow CFD simulations were conducted using FLUENT, and WSS was calculated and compared across different reconstruction modalities (biplane angiography, CT, MRI, original model).

Main Results:

• The biplane angiography reconstruction achieved a Hausdorff surface distance of 0.236 mm to the original geometry, comparable to CT and MRI.
• CFD simulations showed good correlation (r=0.97) for WSS histograms across modalities.
• Mean WSS values were consistent across the original model (0.65 Pa), CT-based (0.68 Pa), MRI-based (0.67 Pa), and biplane angiography-based (0.69 Pa) models.

Conclusions:

• 3D reconstructions from biplane angiography provide accurate geometry for LCA modeling.
• Biplane angiography-based CFD analysis is a reliable method for WSS profiling in coronary arteries.