Accuracy vs. computational time: translating aortic simulations to the clinic.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• State-of-the-art aortic hemodynamics simulations utilize complex fluid-structure interaction (FSI) and 0D boundary conditions.
• These advanced simulations demand substantial computational power and lengthy run times, hindering clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate simpler computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodologies for simulating patient-specific aortic hemodynamics.
• To compare the efficacy of varying complexity models against full FSI simulations.

Main Methods:

• Employed three CFD models: full FSI, rigid-walled incompressible flow, and compressible flow mimicking aortic wall compliance.
• All models incorporated coupled 0D boundary conditions for patient-specific aortic simulations.

Main Results:

• Results indicate that simpler CFD models can effectively capture essential flow field characteristics.
• The choice of simulation complexity can be tailored to specific clinical questions.

Conclusions:

• Less computationally intensive CFD methods may be suitable for certain clinical aortic hemodynamics assessments.
• This finding suggests potential for more efficient integration of CFD into clinical workflows.