CFD Simulation of Shear Stress and Secondary Flows in Urethra

Abstract

In this work, a preliminary numerical simulation of the lower urinary system using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is performed. Very few studies have been done on the simulation of three-dimensional urine through the lower urinary system. In this study, a simplified lower urinary model with rigid body assumption is proposed. The distributions of urine flow velocity, wall pressure and shear stress along the urethra are simulated based on MRI scanned uroflowmetry of a normal female. Numerical results show that violent secondary flows appear on the cross surface near the end of the urethra when the inflow rate is increased. The oscillative variation of pressure and shear stress distributions are found around the beginning section of the urethra when flow rate is at the peak value.

Dynamics analysis of bladder-urethra system based on CFD

“…However, due to individual differences, the results are difficult to apply to clinical practice. Although three-dimensional reconstruction [8] and numerical simulation of the urethra [9] have just started in other countries, literature cannot be found in China. So far the research on flow of urine and physical processes of urine by biomechanics has not been reported in the world.…”