The Influence of Renal Branches on the Iliac Arteries Blood Flow

Abstract

The characterization of blood flow is important to establish links between the hemodynamics and the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. This study describes the development of a 3-D computational model able to predict the blood flow along the abdominal aorta, including the renal and iliac branches. Upstream branches in the abdominal aorta lead to more complex flow patterns downstream, intensifying reverse and asymmetric flow patterns. The focus is on the occurrence of reverse flow and the perturbations in blood flow patterns originated by the branches. Results show regions of recirculation in the walls of the abdominal aorta, renal and iliac branches. It is concluded that, the renal branches induces perturbations in blood flow and result in asymmetric velocity profiles.

Numerical Study of the Unsteady Flow in Simplified and Realistic Iliac Bifurcation Models

“…The initial segment of the exterior and interior walls of the iliac arteries is the most likely site for the endothelium degradation, with subsequent deposition of plaque. Thus, atherosclerosis is more likely to be originated in the vicinity of the iliac bifurcation, because of the complex flow created by geometry features [17]. The acceleration and deceleration phases of the infrarenal cardiac cycle are characterized by large fluctuations in values of WSS in the vicinity of the iliac bifurcation, associated with the formation of vortices downstream of bifurcation.…”

“…The initial segment of the exterior and interior walls of the iliac arteries is the most likely site for the endothelium degradation, with subsequent deposition of plaque. Thus, atherosclerosis is more likely to be originated in the vicinity of the iliac bifurcation, because of the complex flow created by geometry features [17].…”

“…Over the years, this pathology has been deeply studied; however, the focus has essentially been on the carotid [9][10][11][12] and coronary arteries [13][14][15][16], since these are the most commonly affected arteries. Nevertheless, the abdominal aorta branches are also of great importance, such as the renal arteries and iliac bifurcation [5,[17][18][19][20]. According to the literature, patients with atherosclerotic lesions in the iliac arteries will probably show coronary disease with varying degrees of severity [21].…”