A FSI computational framework for vascular physiopathology: A novel flow-tissue multiscale strategy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Vascular Mechanics

Background:

• Vascular diseases involve complex interactions between blood flow and tissue properties.
• Existing models often simplify the multiscale nature of vascular physiopathology.
• Accurate simulation requires integrating fluid dynamics with detailed tissue mechanics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel computational framework for vascular applications.
• To couple multiscale tissue properties with blood flow dynamics.
• To enable realistic simulation of fluid-structure interaction in diseased vasculature.

Main Methods:

• Developed a nonlinear multiscale constitutive model for arterial tissues.
• Coupled a 3D fluid domain with a 0D model for downstream vasculature.
• Employed an explicit time-marching approach for fluid-structure interaction.
• Utilized patient-specific geometry for a case study.

Main Results:

• The framework successfully integrates tissue histology and blood flow.
• Demonstrated accurate simulation of physiological inflow and outflow conditions.
• Validated the model's effectiveness in a case study of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Highlighted the advantages of the multiscale approach.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework offers a robust tool for vascular simulations.
• It accurately captures complex fluid-structure interactions.
• The model is effective for assessing clinical quantities and risk indexes in vascular diseases.