Numerical simulation of coronary arteries blood flow: effects of the aortic valve and boundary conditions

Abstract

Abstract. Sudden cardiac death in athletes is often related to anomalies in coronary origin, which may affect how coronary arteries supply blood to the heart; this highlights the importance of understanding coronary perfusion. Studies for the simulation and predictions of coronary blood flow under normal or disease conditions are many. Numerical simulations can provide rich information about the coronary blood flow with reduced costs in relation to physical models. Correct numerical simulation of the coronary blood flow is still challenging due to the complex interactions with the upstream, e.g., the aortic root, and downstream, e.g., the ventricular contraction, parts of the coronary arteries. Among all, the intrinsic ability of coronary artery autoregulation, intramyocardial resistance, cardiac frequency, and aortic valve functioning could significantly affect the coronary artery perfusion. In the present study, we aim at investigating the effects of the aortic valve and boundary conditions on coronary perfusion. We numerically modeled, by means of the ANSYS-Fluent software, the blood flow inside the proximal parts of the left and right coronary arteries, aortic sinuses of Valsalva, and ascending aorta with and without the aortic valve; the geometry of the computational model represents the average healthy person. Physiological boundary values have been applied at the computational domain boundaries to achieve a stable solution of the Navier-Stokes equations, which govern the incompressible, laminar, Newtonian blood flow. Our numerical results give insight into a proper numerical setup to predict coronary blood flow.