Modeling flow in an in vitro anatomical cerebrovascular model with experimental validation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Neurology

Background:

• Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a major cause of death, resulting from blocked cerebral blood flow.
• Understanding embolus migration and lodging in cerebral vasculature is crucial for determining AIS severity.
• Current in vivo measurements of embolus dynamics in AIS patients are challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for simulating embolus migration in AIS.
• To create a realistic in vitro experimental model of the cerebral vasculature for comparison with CFD simulations.
• To establish a benchmark dataset for validating CFD models of AIS.

Main Methods:

• An in vitro anatomical model of the cerebral vasculature was constructed.
• Flow distribution in the model was adjusted to match literature-based physiological measurements.
• Pressure and flow rate data were collected under normal and stroke conditions.
• CFD simulations were performed and compared with experimental data for validation.

Main Results:

• CFD simulations showed close agreement with experimental data (within ±7% of mean values).
• Many CFD predictions fell within the experimental measurement uncertainty.
• The study provides a validated in vitro dataset for cerebrovascular flow.

Conclusions:

• CFD modeling offers a reliable method for predicting patient-specific hemodynamics and embolus migration in AIS.
• This work represents a significant step towards validating CFD models for AIS research.
• The validated model can enhance understanding of AIS mechanics and inform treatment strategies.