Computational study on effect of stenosis on primary thrombus formation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Hematology

Background:

• Thrombogenesis, the formation of blood clots, is a complex process influenced by hemodynamics.
• Vascular stenosis, a narrowing of blood vessels, can alter blood flow patterns and potentially affect clot formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how stenosis geometry influences primary thrombogenesis.
• To analyze the relationship between blood flow dynamics and thrombus formation in stenosed versus straight vessels.

Main Methods:

• A two-dimensional computational simulation using the Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method.
• Modeling blood as particles with plasma and platelet characteristics.
• Coupling platelet adhesion and aggregation with viscous blood flow dynamics.

Main Results:

• Stenosis alters blood flow, impacting thrombus formation, growth, and dissolution.
• In stenosed vessels, thrombus formation shifts downstream compared to even coverage in straight vessels.
• Increased stenosis severity leads to earlier and greater platelet adhesion at the injured site.

Conclusions:

• Vascular stenosis significantly modifies primary thrombogenesis through altered blood flow dynamics.
• The geometry of stenosis plays a critical role in the spatiotemporal development of thrombi.
• Computational modeling provides valuable insights into the interplay between hemodynamics and thrombosis.