Abstract 566: Experimental Investigation of Blood Flow in the Femoral Bifurcated Artery

Abstract

Stent implantation is one of the most widely used interventional treatments for arterial stenosis which occurs predominantly due to atherosclerosis. Although stent placement can ensure very good patency of the lumen, stent-induced hemodynamic disturbance, which can lead to further stenosis, still remains a common clinical complication. This study investigates the degree of hemodynamic disturbance induced by stenting an idealized bifurcated popliteal artery, which branches into the anterior and posterior tibial arteries, and is known as a site prone to atherosclerosis. Both stent-free and stented bifurcated arteries were examined, and the local flow patterns analysed for the comparative disturbance through the use of Micro Particle Image Velocity (micro-PIV) system. A life-size model of the artery was reconstructed using dimensions obtained from a patient specific MRI scan. The experiments were conducted under steady flow conditions, and the flow rates across the bifurcation were visualized and measured using the micro-PIV system. It was shown that hemodynamic disturbances induced by the blood flow over the stent can further disrupt the arterial wall downstream of the stent causing further downstream vascular damage in addition to the in-stent restenosis. This downstream vascular disruption may require additional treatment depending on the type and severity of the damage. The results also support the hypothesis that links certain flow dynamic behaviour with the development of early intimal thickening, as the near wall low fluid momentum regions are found at locations where thickening was localized in bifurcated arteries in clinical studies.