Spatial Distribution Of Wall Shear Stress Research Articles

Aneurysmal wall enhancement and hemodynamics: pixel-level correlation between spatial distribution.

Inflammation and hemodynamics are interrelated risk factors for intracranial aneurysm rupture. This study aimed to identify the relationship between these risk factors from an individual-patient perspective using biomarkers of aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) derived from high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) and hemodynamic parameters by four-dimensional flow MRI (4D-flow MRI). A total of 29 patients with 29 unruptured intracranial aneurysms larger than 4 mm were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. A total of 24 aneurysms had AWE and 5 did not have AWE. A three-dimensional (3D) vessel model of each individual aneurysm was generated with 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (3D TOF-MRA). Quantification of AWE was sampled with HR-MRI. Time-averaged wall shear stress (WSS) and oscillatory shear index (OSI) were calculated from the 4D-flow MRI. The correlation between spatial distribution of AWE and hemodynamic parameters measured at pixel-level was evaluated for each aneurysm. In aneurysms with AWE, the spatial distribution of WSS was negatively correlated with AWE in 100% (24/24) of aneurysms, though 2 had an absolute value of the correlation coefficient <0.1. The OSI was positively correlated with AWE in 91.7% (22/24) of aneurysms; the other 2 aneurysms showed a negative correlation with AWE. In aneurysms with no AWE, there was no correlation between WSS (100%, 5/5), OSI (80%, 4/5), and wall inflammation. The spatial distribution of WSS was negatively correlated with AWE in aneurysms with AWE, and OSI was positively correlated with AWE in most aneurysms with AWE. While aneurysms that did not contain AWE showed no correlation between hemodynamics and wall inflammation.

Modelling spanwise heterogeneous roughness through a parametric forcing approach

Inhomogeneous rough surfaces in which strips of roughness alternate with smooth-wall strips are known to generate large-scale secondary motions. Those secondary motions are strongest if the strip width is of the order of the half-channel height and they generate a spatial wall shear stress distribution whose mean value can significantly exceed the area-averaged mean value of a homogeneously smooth and rough surface. In the present paper it is shown that a parametric forcing approach (Busse &amp; Sandham, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 712, 2012, pp. 169–202; Forooghi et al., Intl J. Heat Fluid Flow, vol. 71, 2018, pp. 200–209), calibrated with data from turbulent channel flows over homogeneous roughness, can capture the topological features of the secondary motion over protruding and recessed roughness strips (Stroh et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 885, 2020, R5). However, the results suggest that the parametric forcing approach roughness model induces a slightly larger wall offset when applied to the present heterogeneous rough-wall conditions. Contrary to roughness-resolving simulations, where a significantly higher resolution is required to capture roughness geometry, the parametric forcing approach can be applied with usual smooth-wall direct numerical simulation resolution resulting in less computationally expensive simulations for the study of localized roughness effects. Such roughness model simulations are employed to systematically investigate the effect of the relative roughness protrusion on the physical mechanism of secondary flow formation and the related drag increase. It is found that strong secondary motions present over spanwise heterogeneous roughness with geometrical height difference generally lead to a drag increase. However, the physical mechanism guiding the secondary flow formation, and the resulting secondary flow topology, is different for protruding roughness strips and recessed roughness strips separated by protruding smooth surface strips.

Assessment with clinical data of a coupled bio-hemodynamics numerical model to predict leukocyte adhesion in coronary arteries

Numerical simulations of coupled hemodynamics and leukocyte transport and adhesion inside coronary arteries have been performed. Realistic artery geometries have been obtained for a set of four patients from intravascular ultrasound and angiography images. The numerical model computes unsteady three-dimensional blood hemodynamics and leukocyte concentration in the blood. Wall-shear stress dependent leukocyte adhesion is also computed through agent-based modeling rules, fully coupled to the hemodynamics and leukocyte transport. Numerical results have a good correlation with clinical data. Regions where high adhesion is predicted by the simulations coincide to a good approximation with artery segments presenting plaque increase, as documented by clinical data from baseline and six-month follow-up exam of the same artery. In addition, it is observed that the artery geometry and, in particular, the tortuosity of the centerline are a primary factor in determining the spatial distribution of wall-shear stress, and of the resulting leukocyte adhesion patterns. Although further work is required to overcome the limitations of the present model and ultimately quantify plaque growth in the simulations, these results are encouraging towards establishing a predictive methodology for atherosclerosis progress.

Influences of Anatomorphological Features of the Portal Venous System on Postsplenectomy Hemodynamic Characteristics in Patients With Portal Hypertension: A Computational Model-Based Study.

Splenectomy, as an effective surgery for relieving complications caused by portal hypertension, is often accompanied by a significantly increased incidence of postoperative thrombosis in the portal venous system (PVS). While the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood, the marked changes in hemodynamic conditions in the PVS following splenectomy have been suggested to be a potential contributing factor. The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of the anatomorphological features of the PVS on hemodynamic characteristics before and after splenectomy, with emphasis on identifying the specific anatomorphological features that make postoperative hemodynamic conditions more clot-promoting. For this purpose, idealized computational hemodynamics models of the PVS were constructed based on general anatomical structures and population-averaged geometrical parameters of the PVS. In the models, we incorporated various anatomorphological variations to represent inter-patient variability. The analyses of hemodynamic data were focused on the spatial distribution of wall shear stress (WSS) and the area ratio of wall regions exposed to low WSS (ALS). Obtained results showed that preoperative hemodynamic conditions were comparable among different models in terms of space-averaged WSS and ALS (all were small) irrespective of the considerable differences in spatial distribution of WSS, whereas, the inter-model differences in ALS were significantly augmented after splenectomy, with the value of ALS reaching up to over 30% in some models, while being smaller than 15% in some other models. Postoperative ALS was mainly determined by the anatomical structure of the PVS, followed by some morphogeometrical parameters, such as the diameter and curvature of the splenic vein, and the distance between the inferior mesenteric vein and splenoportal junction. Relatively, the angles between tributary veins and trunk veins only had mild influences on ALS. In addition, a marked increase in blood viscosity was predicted after splenectomy, especially in regions with low WSS, which may play an additive role to low WSS in initiating thrombosis. These findings suggest that the anatomical structure and some morphogeometrical features of the PVS are important determinants of hemodynamic conditions following splenectomy, which may provide useful clues to assessing the risk of postsplenectomy thrombosis based on medical imaging data.

Spatial distribution of wall shear stress in the common carotid artery of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Objective To investigate the wall shear stress(WSS) in the common carotid artery of type 2 diabetes mellitus(DM) patients,and analyzed the spatial distribution of WSS by using quantitative visualization of blood flow shear stress analysis software.Methods Eighteen male type 2 DM subjects were enrolled as DM group and 18 age-matched healthy subjects were selected as control group.None of the participants was hypertensive,hyperlipidemic or a cigarette smoker.Intimal-medial thickness (IMT),number and size of plaques in the common carotid artery were evaluated by high-resolution echo-Doppler.Color Doppler flow images of common carotid arteries in the two groups were extracted from DICOM files.WSS in the common carotid arteries was calculated by shear stress visualization quantitative analysis software,and the corresponding spatial distribution maps of WSS were designed.Results WSS of the common carotid arteries in the control group were ranged from 4 to 14 dyne/cm2.WSS of the common carotid arteries in the DM group were ranged from 2 to 8 dyne/cm2.Compared to mean WSS value [(6.96 ± 1.17)dyne/cm2] of common carotid arteries in the control group,mean WSS value [(3.14 ± 0.79)dyne/cm2] of common carotid arteries in the DM group was significantly lower (t =9.380,P =0.000).Six diabetic participants had a plaque in one carotid artery and no lesions in the contralateral carotid.Among these subjects,mean WSS was significantly lower in the side with lesion (t =7.324,P =0.000).Therefore,IMT of common carotid arteries in participants was significantly inversely related to WSS (r =-0.76,P ＜0.01).Conclusions The common carotid arteries of DM patients are more prone to atherosclerosis which is associated with reduction of WSS.The hemodynamic profile might represent an additional factor contributing to the increased prevalence and severity of carotid atherosclerosis in diabetic patients compared with general population. Key words: Ultrasonography; Diabetes mellitus,type 2; Carotid artery,common; Wall shear stress

On the creation of wall shear stress by helical flow structures in stented coronary vessels

AbstractThe post-operative situation in a stented vessel is characterised by struts which extend into the vessel lumen. These barriers on the surface provoke a topological change of the blood flow inducing flow deceleration and stagnation zones. Low values of wall shear stress (WSS) especially up- and downstream of the struts are found accordingly. Clinical studies correlate the occurrence of complications like restenosis and thrombosis with the alteration of the spatial WSS distribution. In this study 3D computational models were used to characterise the flow topology of three different stent types. For this purpose steady state simulations of the flow field within a simplified stented coronary artery were performed. The stent types differ in their strut patterns so that the variation of the induced flow structures can be observed. The aim of these investigations is to evaluate the effect of a purposeful flow control by altering the design of the struts. An improved alignment of the struts will be able to guide the flow to benefit the spatial WSS distribution. To compare the performance of the different stent types the size of the area charged with a WSS value below 0.5 Pa is used as a criterion. We will demonstrate that those strut pattern which generate helical flow structures significantly reduce the critical region of low WSS values.

The Effect of Proximal Artery Flow on the Hemodynamics at the Distal Anastomosis of a Vascular Bypass Graft: Computational Study

The formation of distal anastomotic intimal hyperplasia (IH), one common mode of bypass graft failure, has been shown to occur in the areas of disturbed flow particular to this site. The nature of theflow in the segment of artery proximal to the distal anastomosis varies from case to case depending on the clinical situation presented. A partial stenosis of a bypassed arterial segment may allow residual prograde flow through the proximal artery entering the distal anastomosis of the graft. A complete stenosis may allow for zero flow in the proximal artery segment or retrograde flow due to the presence of small collateral vessels upstream. Although a number of investigations on the hemodynamics at the distal anastomosis of an end-to-side bypass graft have been conducted, there has not been a uniform treatment of the proximal artery flow condition. As a result, direct comparison of results from study to study may not be appropriate. The purpose of this work was to perform a three-dimensional computational investigation to study the effect of the proximal artery flow condition (i.e., prograde, zero, and retrograde flow) on the hemodynamics at the distal end-to-side anastomosis. We used the finite volume method to solve the full Navier-Stokes equations for steady flow through an idealized geometry of the distal anastomosis. We calculated the flow field and local wall shear stress (WSS) and WSS gradient (WSSG) everywhere in the domain. We also calculated the severity parameter (SP), a quantification of hemodynamic variation, at the anastomosis. Our model showed a marked difference in both the magnitude and spatial distribution of WSS and WSSG. For example, the maximum WSS magnitude on the floor of the artery proximal to the anastomosis for the prograde and zero flow cases is 1.8 and 3.9 dynes/cm2, respectively, while it is increased to 10.3 dynes/cm2 in the retrograde flow case. Similarly, the maximum value of WSSG magnitude on thefloor of the artery proximal to the anastomosis for the prograde flow case is 4.9 dynes/cm3, while it is increased to 13.6 and 24.2 dynes/cm3, respectively, in the zero and retrograde flow cases. The value of SP is highest for the retrograde flow case (13.7 dynes/cm3) and 8.1 and 12.1 percent lower than this for the prograde (12.6 dynes/cm3) and zero (12.0 dynes/cm3) flow cases, respectively. Our model results suggest that the flow condition in the proximal artery is an important determinant of the hemodynamics at the distal anastomosis of end-to-side vascular bypass grafts. Because hemodynamic forces affect the response of vascular endothelial cells, the flow situation in the proximal artery may affect IH formation and, therefore, long-term graft patency. Since surgeons have some control over the flow condition in the proximal artery, results from this study could help determine which flow condition is clinically optimal.