Magnetohydrodynamic blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease

Abstract

ObjectivesWe aim to investigate the effect of a magnetic field with varying intensities on haemodynamic perturbations in a cohort of patients with coronary artery disease. MethodsTransient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed in three-dimensional (3D) models of coronary arteries reconstructed from 3D quantitative coronary angiography. The effect of magnetic field on wall shear stress (WSS) derived parameters including maximum wall shear stress (MWSS) and size of regions with low wall shear stress (ALWSS) as well as length of flow recirculation zones were determined. ResultsThe results showed a substantial reduction in MWSS, ALWSS and length of flow recirculation zones in the presence of magnetic field, in particular for coronaries with moderate to severe stenoses. When the whole cohort examined, time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), ALWSS and the length of flow recirculation zones in the absence of magnetic field were approximately 1.71, 4.69 and 8.46 times greater than those in the presence of magnetic field, respectively. ConclusionOur findings imply that an externally applied magnetic field can improve haemodynamic perturbations in human coronary arteries.