Abstract
Computational hemodynamic simulations of cerebral aneurysms have traditionally relied on stereotypical boundary conditions (such as blood flow velocity and blood pressure) derived from published values as patient-specific measurements are unavailable or difficult to collect. However, controversy persists over the necessity of incorporating such patient-specific conditions into computational analyses. We perform simulations using both endovascularly-derived patient-specific and typical literature-derived inflow and outflow boundary conditions. Detailed three-dimensional anatomical models of the cerebral vasculature are developed from rotational angiography data, and blood flow velocity and pressure are measured in situ by a dual-sensor pressure and velocity endovascular guidewire at multiple peri-aneurysmal locations in 10 unruptured cerebral aneurysms. These measurements are used to define inflow and outflow boundary conditions for computational hemodynamic models of the aneurysms. The additional in situ measurements which are not prescribed in the simulation are then used to assess the accuracy of the simulated flow velocity and pressure drop. Simulated velocities using patient-specific boundary conditions show good agreement with the guidewire measurements at measurement locations inside the domain, with no bias in the agreement and a random scatter of ≈25%. Simulated velocities using the simplified, literature-derived values show a systematic bias and over-predicted velocity by ≈30% with a random scatter of ≈40%. Computational hemodynamics using endovascularly measured patient-specific boundary conditions have the potential to improve treatment predictions as they provide more accurate and precise results of the aneurysmal hemodynamics than those based on commonly accepted reference values for boundary conditions.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by NINDS/NIH grant (1R03NS078539), an NSF CAREER Award (CBET-0748133), a Washington Royalty Research Fund grant, an unrestricted grant to our academic institution from Volcano Corporation, San Diego CA and the generous support of Mark Robison and family.
Conflict of interest
This study was supported by the manufacturer of the dual-sensor Doppler guidewire (Volcano Corporation) through an unrestricted educational grant made to the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Radiology, University of Washington. The sponsor was shown the final manuscript but had no role in the study design, data collection, data analyses, or interpretation.
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Associate Editor Ender A Finol oversaw the review of this article.
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McGah, P.M., Levitt, M.R., Barbour, M.C. et al. Accuracy of Computational Cerebral Aneurysm Hemodynamics Using Patient-Specific Endovascular Measurements. Ann Biomed Eng 42, 503–514 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-013-0930-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-013-0930-3