Predicting Cerebral Aneurysm Rupture: The Role of Computational Fluid Dynamics

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are outpouchings of cerebral arteries that may rupture, associated with high morbidity and mortality. While most unruptured IAs remain stable, they are often treated due to the severe consequences of rupture. Current IA rupture risk scores rely on clinical and morphological factors but do not account for blood flow, which may limit their predictive accuracy. Image-based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can capture local hemodynamics, but studies linking flow factors to IA rupture have yielded conflicting results. This review presents CFD methods for subject-specific IA flow analysis and discusses challenges in translating computational modeling into clinical practice.