Computational study of anterior communicating artery hemodynamics before aneurysm formation

Abstract

It is widely accepted that complexity in the flow pattern at the anterior communicating artery (AComA) is associated with the high rate of aneurysm formation in that location observed in large studies. A previous computational hemodynamic study showed a possible association between high maximum intraaneurysmal wall shear stress (WSS) at the systolic peak with rupture in a cohort of AComA aneurysms. In another study it was observed a connection between location of aneurysm blebs and regions of high WSS in models where blebs were virtually removed. However, others reported associations between low WSS and either rupture or blister formation. The purpose of this work is to study associations between hemodynamic patterns and AComA aneurysm initiation by comparing hemodynamics in the aneurysm and the normal model where the aneurysm was computationally removed. Vascular models of both right and left circulation were independently reconstructed from three-dimensional rotational angiography images using deformable models, and fused using a surface merging algorithm. The geometric models were then used to generate high-quality volumetric finite element grids of tetrahedra with an advancing front technique. For each patient, the second anatomical model was created by digitally removing the aneurysm. It was iteratively achieved by applying a Laplacian smoothing filter and remeshing the surface. Finite element blood flow numerical simulations were performed. It was observed that aneurysms initiated in regions of high and moderate WSS in the counterpart normal models. Adjacent or close to those regions, low WSS portions of the arterial wall were not affected by the disease.