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Optical Coherence Tomography Based Biomechanical Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis of Coronary Atherosclerosis Progression
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Computational fluid dynamics modeling of coronary artery blood flow using OpenFOAM: Validation with the food and drug

Sajid Ali1, Chien-Yi Ho2, Chen-Chia Yang3

  • 1Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology
|May 24, 2024
PubMed

Insights

This study uses OpenFOAM, a free CFD software, to analyze blood flow in coronary arteries with blockages. It provides detailed insights into how stenosis severity affects fractional flow reserve and wall shear stress for better diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular research
  • Biomedical engineering
  • Computational fluid dynamics

Background:

  • Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major global health issue.
  • Invasive coronary angiography has risks and high costs.
  • Noninvasive coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) offers a safer alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze hemodynamic parameters in coronary arteries with serial stenoses using patient-specific models.
  • To evaluate the utility of OpenFOAM, an open-source CFD software, for coronary artery analysis.
  • To correlate stenosis severity with fractional flow reserve computed tomography simulation (FFRCTS), fluid velocity, and wall shear stress (WSS).

Main Methods:

  • Developed patient-specific 3D coronary artery models from CCTA images.
  • Utilized OpenFOAM, an open-source CFD software, for hemodynamic simulations.
  • Validated OpenFOAM against the FDA benchmark nozzle model.
  • Analyzed 17 coronary arteries from 9 patients, assessing FFRCTS, velocity, and WSS across different stenosis grades.

Main Results:

  • FFRCTS values decreased with increasing stenosis grade ( >0.8 for grade 0, <0.5 for grade 5).
  • Central fluid velocity increased significantly with stenosis severity (3.4-fold for grade 5 vs. grade 1).
  • 3D renderings visualized WSS distribution, correlating with stenosis severity.

Conclusions:

  • OpenFOAM provides a reliable, cost-effective alternative to commercial CFD software for coronary artery analysis.
  • Combining stenosis grading with quantitative hemodynamic parameters (FFRCTS, velocity, WSS) enhances diagnostic accuracy.
  • This approach offers valuable, intuitive insights into coronary stenosis using 3D hemodynamic visualizations.

Keywords:
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)coronary computed tomography angiographyfood and drug administration (FDA) benchmark nozzle modelfractional flow reserve (FFR)

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