Haemodynamic imaging of thoracic stent-grafts by computational fluid dynamics (CFD): presentation of a patient-specific method combining magnetic resonance imaging and numerical simulations

Abstract

• Functional vascular imaging of the thoracic aorta offers new diagnostic opportunities • CFD can model vascular haemodynamics for clinical aortic problems • Combining CFD with MRI offers patient specific method of aortic analysis • Haemodynamic analysis of stent-grafts could improve clinical management and follow-up.

Image-based large-eddy simulation in a realistic left heart

“…The geometry movements are generated from a 4D sequence (MRI or CT scan images) treated by an appropriate image registration algorithm [41,42]. This approach has been used before to compute blood flow in aortas [43]. It is further developed for application to the left heart flow, notably by introducing valve modeling.…”

Using Image-based CFD to Investigate the Intracardiac Turbulence

“…Finally the N − 1 deformations are computed through this iterative optimisation process. This approach was successfully applied before to large vessels as the aorta cross [29].…”

“…In the present work, an image-based CFD method developed to compute flows in aortas [29] is extended to compute intracardiac flows. Medical images are used to generate a moving patient-specific domain, in which the blood flow equations are solved.…”

A robust comparison approach of velocity data between MRI and CFD based on divergence-free space projection

“…Although such combined studies are under extensive research, a reasonable comparison method has not yet been developed. Most of these works do either not describe in detail how the comparisons were achieved exactly or perform visual interpretation [2,3,4], whereas some other works compare velocity magnitude profiles and/or peak-velocities [5,6], linear correlation coefficients [7] or volumetric flow rates [8]. Most of these comparisons are performed on 2D planes, do not define any norm or do not consider flow properties.…”