Computational Fluid Dynamic Study for aTAA Hemodynamics: An Integrated Image-Based and Radial Basis Functions Mesh...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular fluid dynamics
• Medical imaging and simulation
• Computational biomechanics

Background:

• Ascending thoracic aorta aneurysm (aTAA) is a life-threatening condition.
• Understanding the hemodynamic impact of aTAA is crucial for surgical planning.
• Current analysis methods may not fully capture the dynamic changes in aTAA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel computational framework for analyzing fluid dynamics in aTAA.
• To investigate the hemodynamic effects of varying aneurysm enlargement.
• To correlate aneurysm morphology with blood flow patterns.

Main Methods:

• Generation of 3D surface models from patient-specific data (PC-MRI).
• Application of radial basis function (RBF) morphing for parametric simulation of aneurysm formation.
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using a finite volume solver.
• Assessment of blood flow helicity and flow descriptors, including the normalized flow eccentricity (NFE) index.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated feasibility of integrating RBF morphing and CFD for aTAA analysis.
• Identified significant hemodynamic alterations at approximately 60% of aneurysm bulge progression.
• Observed flow impingement towards the aneurysm sac, quantified by the NFE index.

Conclusions:

• The integrated RBF-CFD approach provides a powerful tool for studying aTAA hemodynamics.
• Aneurysm enlargement significantly alters blood flow patterns, potentially impacting disease progression.
• Hemodynamic changes at 60% bulge progression highlight a critical stage in aTAA development.