Finite Element Modeling for Solving Pulsatile Flow in a Fusiform Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

摘要

Computational modeling is a fundamentally new approach to medical treatment planning and the development of pre-dictive methods for clinical applications. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common clinical problem that requires determination of hemodynamic conditions and prediction of subsequent rupture. The objective of this paper is to solve a set of three-dimensional nonlinear finite element equations in order to model clinically relevant hemodynamic conditions that are important in predicting the risk of rupture of AAAs. The solution exploits the mixed velocity-pressure (v-p) finite element method by implementing the Galerkin method and the implicit incremental-iterative procedure. The physiologi-cally realistic pulsatile blood flow dynamics imposed upon the AAA model was solved using the Navier-Stokes and con-tinuity equations that represent a viscous incompressible fluid. This pulsatile condition simulates an in vivo aorta at rest. The finite element technique developed here was validated using the well-known analytical solution of the Womersley model. The velocity flow fields, flow-induced wall shear stress and pressure distributions from the resulting technique were quantified.