A numerical 3D fluid-structure interaction model for blood flow in a MRI-based atherosclerotic artery

Abstract

Atherosclerosis, as a result of an inflammatory process, is the thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries that is associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques within the arterial intima, which present a double threat. A piece of vulnerable plaque can break off and be carried by the bloodstream until it gets stuck; and plaque that narrows an artery may lead to a thrombus that sticks to the blood vessel’s inner wall. The purpose of the present article is to compare effects across different atheromatous plaque material assumptions on hemodynamics and biomechanics within a partly patient-specific computational domain representing an atherosclerotic artery. A full scale 3D ESI numerical model is implemented and different material hyperelastic assumptions are considered for comparison purposes. The 3D realistic geometry is reconstructed from a medical image. This technique may be useful, specially with the recent advances in computer-aided design (CAD), medical imaging, and 3D printing technologies that have provided a rapid and cost efficient method to generate arterial stenotic biomodels, making in vitro studies a valuable and powerful tool. To understand our results, hemodynamic parameters and structural stress analysis were performed. The results are consistent with previous findings.