Effects of vasospasm in the middle cerebral artery territory on flow velocity and volume flow. A computersimulation

Recently blood flow velocity in large cerebral arteries became measurable non-invasively by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD). The present study tries to quantify the relation between flow velocity and the more important volume flow in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) by means of computersimulation. A mathematical model of the MCA territory was developed. The model is able to take into account the non-Newtonian behaviour of blood viscosity and is also able to handle turbulant and laminar flow. Autoregulation is simulated by increasing or decreasing diameter of arteries as an answer to intraluminal pressure changes. Two processes are simulated: Vasospasm in the stem of the MCA, and vasospasm in the entire MCA territory. Results show that the relation between flow velocity and volume flow is rather complicated. Vasospasm in the MCA stem first leads to an increase of flow velocity at a constant level of volume flow. At higher grades of vessel constriction volume flow and flow velocity start to fall.