The impact of multiple stenosis and aneurysms on arterial diseases: A cardiovascular study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Cardiovascular Science

Background:

• Atherosclerosis involves arterial narrowing (stenosis) and ballooning (aneurysms), affecting blood flow.
• Understanding the combined impact of serial stenosis and aneurysms is crucial for disease severity assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comparatively analyze the blood flow effects of serial stenosis and aneurysms in arteries.
• To assess the severity of atherosclerosis by examining blood behavior under these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the finite element method to solve continuity, momentum, and Oldroyd-B partial differential equations.
• Modeled both Newtonian and non-Newtonian blood flow for viscoelastic analysis.
• Investigated four cases of simultaneous serial stenosis and aneurysm occurrence.

Main Results:

• Serial stenoses exhibited a greater abnormal blood flow effect than aneurysms, signifying higher atherosclerosis severity.
• Higher blood velocity and wall shear stress (WSS) were observed at stenosis hubs, with lower arterial wall normal gradients.
• Aneurysmal models showed opposite results for velocity, WSS, and arterial wall normal gradients.
• Increased Reynolds number significantly impacted blood flow in both stenotic and aneurysmal models.

Conclusions:

• Serial stenoses are a more significant indicator of atherosclerosis severity than aneurysms.
• Blood flow characteristics like velocity, pressure, and WSS differ markedly between stenotic and aneurysmal regions.
• Findings can aid medical experts in evaluating cardiovascular disease severity.