Solitonic Windkessel Model for Intracranial Aneurysm

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Intracranial aneurysms are vascular lesions causing subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Aneurysms act as unusual blood flow paths with reservoir and bottleneck features.
• The Windkessel model effectively explains hemodynamic circulation using electrical circuit analogies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a theoretical Windkessel-type model for intracranial aneurysms.
• To simulate aneurysm hemodynamics using a five-element electrical circuit.
• To investigate the impact of aneurysm size and wall elasticity on blood pressure.

Main Methods:

• Developed a five-element Windkessel electrical circuit model for a dumbbell-shaped aneurysm.
• Solved mathematical formulas through numerical simulations.
• Varied aneurysm size and aneurysm wall elasticity in simulations.

Main Results:

• The presence of a daughter aneurysm correlates with increased blood pressure in the aneurysm dome.
• Thinning of the aneurysm wall is associated with a sharp rise in blood pressure within the aneurysm.
• The model demonstrated non-decreasing wave propagation, characteristic of solitons.

Conclusions:

• The proposed five-element Windkessel model serves as a valid analogue for intracranial aneurysms.
• Aneurysm morphology, specifically daughter aneurysms and wall thinning, significantly impacts internal blood pressure.
• The model's ability to simulate soliton waves offers insights into aneurysm rupture dynamics.