Predicting Atherosclerotic Plaque Location in an Iliac Bifurcation Using a Hybrid CFD/Biomechanical Approach

摘要

Experimental evidence indicates that haemodynamic stimuli influence some properties of the arterial endothelium, such as cell geometry and permeability, leading to possible accumulation of blood-borne macromolecules and initiation of atherosclerosis. Patient-specific computational models are able to capture complex haemodynamic characteristics to explore and analyse the development of these diseases in silico. Patient-specific models are particularly beneficial in the case of aortic dissection (AD), a condition in which the aortic wall is split in two, creating a true and a false lumen. In this condition, the proportion of blood through the main vessel and the main aortic branches is substantially modified and malperfusion (lack of blood supply) of the downstream vessels is often observed. Furthermore, AD alters the haemodynamics downstream of the lesion, potentially leading to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques at the iliac bifurcation. In order to correctly approximate the haemodynamic changes and analyse the role they play in the development of atherosclerosis formations in AD patients, a combined multiscale methodology is required. In this study, both, blood flow through an iliac bifurcation of a patient suffering from type-B aortic dissection and endothelium behavior are analysed, in order to investigate atherosclerosis formation.