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Velocity profiles in the human ductus venosus: a numerical fluid structure interaction study
Paul R Leinan1, Joris Degroote, Torvid Kiserud
1Biomechanics Division, Department of Structural Engineering, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway, paul.leinan@ntnu.no.
Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology
|January 2, 2013
Summary
A new mathematical model aids clinical assessment of fetal blood flow through the ductus venosus. This model, using fluid structure interaction, accurately estimates volumetric flow rate, improving Doppler velocimetry accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Fetal Physiology
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- The ductus venosus plays a critical role in fetal circulation by shunting oxygenated blood from the placenta to the fetal heart.
- Accurate assessment of volumetric flow rate in the ductus venosus is crucial for monitoring fetal well-being.
- Clinical Doppler velocimetry is widely used, but precise flow rate estimation requires accurate velocity profile information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a mathematical model for assessing volumetric flow rate at the inlet of the ductus venosus.
- To estimate the velocity profile shape coefficient (VC) using computational simulations.
- To enhance the clinical application of Doppler velocimetry for fetal circulation assessment.
Main Methods:
- Development of a 3D fluid structure interaction (FSI) model of the ductus venosus, umbilical vein, and associated vasculature.
- Incorporation of hyperelastic material properties for vessel walls based on experimental data.
- Parametric study and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to determine the velocity profile shape coefficient (VC).
Main Results:
- The mathematical model successfully estimated the volumetric flow rate using time-averaged velocity and cross-sectional area.
- The velocity profile shape coefficient (VC) was determined to be [Formula: see text] (Mean [Formula: see text] SD) for a 36-week fetus.
- FSI simulations showed minimal differences in VC compared to rigid wall CFD simulations, validating the model's robustness.
Conclusions:
- The developed mathematical model is a promising tool for improving the accuracy of ductus venosus Doppler velocimetry.
- The study confirms previous findings on the velocity profile shape coefficient at the ductus venosus inlet.
- This approach offers enhanced clinical assessment capabilities for fetal circulatory dynamics.
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