[Hemodynamic study of thoracic aortic aneurysm based on computational fluid dynamics technique].

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) pose significant rupture risks.
• Understanding TAA growth and rupture mechanisms is crucial for patient management.
• Patient-specific hemodynamic modeling offers a novel approach to study TAA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA).
• To investigate the role of hemodynamics in TAA growth and rupture mechanisms using this model.

Main Methods:

• A 3D TAA model was reconstructed from patient CTA images using Mimics software.
• Laminar, incompressible, Newtonian blood flow was simulated using CFD (FLUENT).
• Time-dependent pulsatile inflow conditions and finite volume methods were employed.

Main Results:

• Hemodynamic parameters like wall shear stress (WSS) and velocity were analyzed.
• Higher blood velocity was observed in the aneurysm neck compared to the body.
• High WSS concentrations were found at the aneurysm neck and initial impact sites, while low WSS was prevalent in the aneurysm body.

Conclusions:

• Patient-specific hemodynamic models can be effectively used to study TAA.
• CFD simulations provide insights into the mechanisms driving TAA growth and rupture.