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Published on: July 16, 2018
Pulsatile hemodynamics in patient-specific thoracic aortic dissection models constructed from computed tomography
Jacky Ka Long Ko1, Ryan Wen Liu1, Diya Ma1
1Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong.
Insights
Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) involves catastrophic cardiovascular events. This study used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze hemodynamics in a TAD model, revealing high wall shear stress at dissection initiation and progression along the false lumen.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a severe cardiovascular condition with high mortality.
- Understanding hemodynamics in TAD is crucial for improving clinical outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pulsatile hemodynamic changes in a Stanford Type B TAD model.
- To utilize computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for detailed analysis of blood flow dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Reconstruction of a patient-specific dissected aorta from 3D CTA scans.
- Application of realistic, time-dependent pulsatile boundary conditions.
- CFD simulations using the finite volume method to analyze blood flow velocity, pressure, wall shear stress, and vorticity.
Main Results:
- High wall shear stress and strong vertical flow observed at the initiation of dissection.
- Progression of wall shear stress along the false lumen was identified.
- These findings suggest a potential mechanism for blood flow within aortic wall layers.
Conclusions:
- CFD analysis provides valuable insights into the complex hemodynamics of TAD.
- Understanding shear stress patterns may help predict dissection progression.
- Further research can explore therapeutic interventions based on these hemodynamic findings.
Purpose:
Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is considered one of the most catastrophic and non-traumatic cardiovascular diseases associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in clinical treatment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pulsatile hemodynamics changes throughout a cardiac cycle in a Stanford Type B TAD model with the aid of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method.
Methods:
A patient-specific dissected aorta geometry was reconstructed from the three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography angiography (CTA) scanning. The realistic time-dependent pulsatile boundary conditions were prescribed for our 3D patient-specific TAD model. Blood was considered to be an incompressible, Newtonian fluid. The aortic wall was assumed to be rigid, and a no-slip boundary condition was applied at the wall. CFD simulations were processed using the finite volume (FV) method to investigate the pulsatile hemodynamics in terms of blood flow velocity, aortic wall pressure, wall shear stress and flow vorticity. In the experiments, blood velocity, pressure, wall shear stress and vorticity distributions were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.
Results:
The experimental results demonstrated a high wall shear stress and strong vertical flow at dissection initiation. The results also indicated that wall shear progressed along the false lumen, which is a possible cause of blood flow between aortic wall layers.
