A study on hemodynamic characteristics at the stenosed blood vessel using computational fluid dynamics simulations

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Blood flow analysis is crucial for understanding cardiovascular diseases.
• Stenosis, or the narrowing of blood vessels, significantly alters hemodynamics.
• Existing models often simplify the complex interactions within stenosed vessels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate blood flow characteristics in stenosed blood vessels using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
• To analyze the impact of varying stenosis percentages and Reynolds numbers on blood flow parameters.
• To evaluate the potential for aneurysm generation under different stenosis conditions.

Main Methods:

• Employed commercial CFD software (ADINA 8.6) for numerical simulations.
• Modeled blood flow in both normal and stenosed blood vessels for model validation.
• Incorporated fluid-structure interaction (FSI) into the computational model.
• Analyzed pulsatile and steady-state flow characteristics over time.

Main Results:

• Axial flow velocity and wall shear stress increase with higher stenosis percentages and Reynolds numbers.
• The pulsatile nature of blood flow is significantly altered by stenosis.
• Increased Reynolds number and stenosis percentage correlate with a higher likelihood of aneurysm formation.

Conclusions:

• CFD simulations provide valuable insights into hemodynamics in stenosed vessels.
• Stenosis severity and flow rate are key factors influencing hemodynamic stress and aneurysm risk.
• The study highlights the importance of FSI in accurately modeling blood flow and predicting vascular complications.