Unsteady and Three-Dimensional Simulation of Blood Flow in the Human Aortic Arch

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Shahcheraghi ◽  
H. A. Dwyer ◽  
A. Y. Cheer ◽  
A. I. Barakat ◽  
T. Rutaganira

A three-dimensional and pulsatile blood flow in a human aortic arch and its three major branches has been studied numerically for a peak Reynolds number of 2500 and a frequency (or Womersley) parameter of 10. The simulation geometry was derived from the three-dimensional reconstruction of a series of two-dimensional slices obtained in vivo using CAT scan imaging on a human aorta. The numerical simulations were obtained using a projection method, and a finite-volume formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations was used on a system of overset grids. Our results demonstrate that the primary flow velocity is skewed towards the inner aortic wall in the ascending aorta, but this skewness shifts to the outer wall in the descending thoracic aorta. Within the arch branches, the flow velocities were skewed to the distal walls with flow reversal along the proximal walls. Extensive secondary flow motion was observed in the aorta, and the structure of these secondary flows was influenced considerably by the presence of the branches. Within the aorta, wall shear stresses were highly dynamic, but were generally high along the outer wall in the vicinity of the branches and low along the inner wall, particularly in the descending thoracic aorta. Within the branches, the shear stresses were considerably higher along the distal walls than along the proximal walls. Wall pressure was low along the inner aortic wall and high around the branches and along the outer wall in the ascending thoracic aorta. Comparison of our numerical results with the localization of early atherosclerotic lesions broadly suggests preferential development of these lesions in regions of extrema (either maxima or minima) in wall shear stress and pressure.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paritosh Vasava ◽  
Payman Jalali ◽  
Mahsa Dabagh ◽  
Pertti J. Kolari

A three-dimensional computer model of human aortic arch with three branches is reproduced to study the pulsatile blood flow with Finite Element Method. In specific, the focus is on variation of wall shear stress, which plays an important role in the localization and development of atherosclerotic plaques. Pulsatile pressure pulse is used as boundary condition to avoid flow entry development, and the aorta walls are considered rigid. The aorta model along with boundary conditions is altered to study the effect of hypotension and hypertension. The results illustrated low and fluctuating shear stress at outer and inner wall of aortic arch, proximal wall of branches, and entry region. Despite the simplification of aorta model, rigid walls and other assumptions results displayed that hypertension causes lowered local wall shear stresses. It is the sign of an increased risk of atherosclerosis. The assessment of hemodynamics shows that under the flow regimes of hypotension and hypertension, the risk of atherosclerosis localization in human aorta may increase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxi Jia ◽  
Kumaradevan Punithakumar ◽  
Michelle Noga ◽  
Arman Hemmati

Abstract The characteristics of blood flow in an abnormal pediatric aorta with an aortic coarctation and aortic arch narrowing are examined using direct numerical simulations and patient-specific boundary conditions. The blood flow simulations of a normal pediatric aorta are used for comparison to identify unique flow features resulting from the aorta geometrical anomalies. Despite flow similarities compared to the flow in normal aortic arch, the flow velocity decreases with an increase in pressure, wall shear stress, and vorticity around both anomalies. The presence of wall shear stresses in the trailing indentation region and aorta coarctation opposing the primary flow direction suggests that there exist recirculation zones in the aorta. The discrepancy in relative flowrates through the top and bottom of the aorta outlets, and the pressure drop across the coarctation, implies a high blood pressure in the upper body and a low blood pressure in the lower body. We propose using flow manipulators prior to the aortic arch and coarctation to lower the wall shear stress, while making the recirculation regions both smaller and weaker. The flow manipulators form a guide to divert and correct blood flow in critical regions of the aorta with anomalies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Abdus Samad ◽  
A. Husain ◽  
M. Zunaid ◽  
A. Samad

The current study presents three-dimensional modeling and analysis of blood flow through artery stenosis under several variants of pulsatile flow to mimic the atherosclerosis artery disease. The study considered Newtonian and non-Newtonian blood flow models and solved the three-dimensional laminar and unsteady Navier-Stokes (NS) equations for different inlet velocity profiles. The Carreau Yasuda model was used for hemodynamics modeling of fluid viscosity. A comparative analysis was carried out for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid models under several simple pulsatile, equivalent pulsatile and physiological velocity profiles. The non-Newtonian fluid exhibited a higher centerline velocity. Wall shear stresses, shear strain rates, velocity fields, and vortex distribution for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid flows show significant differences. A higher wall shear was noticed near the stenosis. The vortex formed near the stenosis shifts to upstream and downstream of the stenosis with the change of velocity pulse. The velocity profile deflates more for non-Newtonian flows than the Newtonian flows.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (65) ◽  
pp. 1708-1719 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Vincent ◽  
A. M. Plata ◽  
A. A. E. Hunt ◽  
P. D. Weinberg ◽  
S. J. Sherwin

The distribution of atherosclerotic lesions within the rabbit vasculature, particularly within the descending thoracic aorta, has been mapped in numerous studies. The patchy nature of such lesions has been attributed to local variation in the pattern of blood flow. However, there have been few attempts to model and characterize the flow. In this study, a high-order continuous Galerkin finite-element method was used to simulate blood flow within a realistic representation of the rabbit aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta. The geometry, which was obtained from computed tomography of a resin corrosion cast, included all vessels originating from the aortic arch (followed to at least their second generation) and five pairs of intercostal arteries originating from the proximal descending thoracic aorta. The simulations showed that small geometrical undulations associated with the ductus arteriosus scar cause significant deviations in wall shear stress (WSS). This finding highlights the importance of geometrical accuracy when analysing WSS or related metrics. It was also observed that two Dean-type vortices form in the aortic arch and propagate down the descending thoracic aorta (along with an associated skewed axial velocity profile). This leads to the occurrence of axial streaks in WSS, similar in nature to the axial streaks of lipid deposition found in the descending aorta of cholesterol-fed rabbits. Finally, it was observed that WSS patterns within the vicinity of intercostal branch ostia depend not only on local flow features caused by the branches themselves, but also on larger-scale flow features within the descending aorta, which vary between branches at different locations. This result implies that disease and WSS patterns in the vicinity of intercostal ostia are best compared on a branch-by-branch basis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (suppl. 3) ◽  
pp. 553-564
Author(s):  
Johannes Walter ◽  
Dieter Wurz ◽  
Stefan Hartig ◽  
Martin Gabi

Axial fans are used in power plants for fresh air supply and flue gas transport. A typical configuration consists of an axial fan and annular diffuser which connects the fan to the following piping. In order to achieve a high efficiency of the con-figuration, not only the components have to be optimized but also their interaction. The present study focuses on the diffuser of the configuration. Experiments are performed on a diffuser-piping configuration to investigate the influence of the velocity profile at the fan outlet on the pressure recovery of the configuration. Two different diffuser inlet profiles are generated, an undisturbed profile and a profile with the typical outlet characteristics of a fan. The latter is generated by the superposition of screens in the inlet zone. The tests are conducted at a high Reynolds number (Re ? 4?105). Mean velocity profiles and wall shear stresses are measured with hydraulic methods (Prandtl and Preston tubes). The results show that there is a lack of momentum at the outer wall of the diffuser and high shear stresses at the inner wall in case of the undisturbed inflow profile. For the typical fan outlet profile it is vice versa. There are high wall shear stresses at the outer wall while the boundary layer of the inner wall lacks momentum. The pressure recovery of the undisturbed inflow configuration is in good agreement with other studies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-380
Author(s):  
I R Yagafarov ◽  
R R Sayfullin ◽  
M M Iskhakov ◽  
N V Gazizov ◽  
M G Khatypov ◽  
...  

Spontaneous rupture of the aorta - a violation of the integrity of the aortic wall which is not caused by an aneurysm, trauma, dissection or disintegrating tumor process, and is an acute life-threatening condition. According to some authors, the main cause of spontaneous rupture of the aorta is a penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the aorta, which is an ulceration of aortic atherosclerotic plaque leading to penetration of the internal elastic plate in media. We present a case of successful hybrid surgical treatment of patient with spontaneous rupture of the descending thoracic aorta with the formation of para-aortic hematoma and left-sided hemothorax. The patient underwent a hybrid operation - aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta prosthetic repair, subclavian bypass with left subclavian artery ligation, left-sided thoracotomy, and pleural cavity sanitation. No intraoperative complications were observed, the patient was taken off the ventilator on day 2. The control computed tomography performed on day 10, revealed correct and stable stent graft position with no signs of continued bleeding, endoleak. The patient was discharged in satisfactory condition on day 14. Due to the high hospital mortality of open surgery on the thoracic aorta in case of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers, as well as the predominance of elderly patients with severe comorbidities that contraindicate open surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass, endovascular and hybrid technologies, which are minimally invasive and traumatic, come to the fore. Endovascular prosthetic repair in case of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta is an effective and safe procedure in patients at high risk, showing encouraging long-term results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mongkol Kaewbumrung ◽  
Somsak Orankitjaroen ◽  
Pichit Boonkrong ◽  
Buraskorn Nuntadilok ◽  
Benchawan Wiwatanapataphee

A mathematical model of dispersed bioparticle-blood flow through the stenosed coronary artery under the pulsatile boundary conditions is proposed. Blood is assumed to be an incompressible non-Newtonian fluid and its flow is considered as turbulence described by the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Bioparticles are assumed to be spherical shape with the same density as blood, and their translation and rotational motions are governed by Newtonian equations. Impact of particle movement on the blood velocity, the pressure distribution, and the wall shear stress distribution in three different severity degrees of stenosis including 25%, 50%, and 75% are investigated through the numerical simulation using ANSYS 18.2. Increasing degree of stenosis severity results in higher values of the pressure drop and wall shear stresses. The higher level of bioparticle motion directly varies with the pressure drop and wall shear stress. The area of coronary artery with higher density of bioparticles also presents the higher wall shear stress.


Author(s):  
John Bozinovski ◽  
Scott A. LeMaire ◽  
Scott A. Weldon ◽  
Joseph S. Coselli

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