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Computational Fluid Dynamics and Cerebral Aneurysms

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PanVascular Medicine

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Abstract

Advances in computational techniques mitigated by faster computer hardware and improvements in software algorithms have increased interest in exploring their potential value for application in clinical research. Information derived from medical image data can be utilized to create computational models for simulating hemodynamics in cerebral aneurysms. In this chapter, we review the principles of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) aimed at this application and discuss results from selected studies which focused on developing CFD techniques for applications in clinical research. Validation studies comparing measurements with simulation results have demonstrated that this approach is viable and thereby encourage further development and refinement. They have also shown that multidisciplinary collaborative teams involving clinicians and clinical and basic scientists are needed to lead these exciting translational research efforts to fruition.

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Abbreviations

Aneurysm:

A focal balloon-like extension or bulge in a blood vessel. Cerebral aneurysms affect arteries of the brain, while aortic aneurysms are located in the aorta.

Computational fluid dynamics:

A subspecialty of the large field of fluid mechanics in which numerical algorithms are developed and used with high-performance computers to solve problems related to fluid flow.

Computed tomography angiography:

A medical imaging technology where the computational analysis of X-rays is combined with the administration of a contrast agent to create three-dimensional visualization of blood vessels and the heart.

Digital subtraction angiography:

A medical imaging technique based on fluoroscopy, where images acquired before and after the administration of a contrast agent are subtracted to obtain very accurate visualizations of blood vessels with high spatial resolution.

Endothelium:

A thin layer of cells lining the inner surface of blood vessels. Endothelial cells have been shown to have receptors for sensing the wall shear stress created by the flowing blood.

Endovascular treatment:

A surgical technique to treat selected vascular pathologies in the brain and other parts of the body through a catheter and attached medical devices which are navigated to the treatment site within the blood vessels.

Hemodynamics:

The field which aims at developing a better understanding of how blood flows in blood vessels by establishing the corresponding physical laws and the governing equations of motion.

Magnetic resonance imaging:

A medical imaging technology which uses strong magnetic fields and radio-frequency pulses to probe and visualize anatomy and physiology both in health and disease.

Mesh generation:

The digital separation of an often irregularly shaped volume into small regular volume elements, for instance, tetrahedra, pyramids, or hexahedra. This is a prerequisite for applying computational simulations which rely on finite element methods such as computational fluid dynamics.

Wall shear stress:

Shear stresses describe the effect of a force parallel to a cross section of material and are defined as the ratio of the magnitude of this force and the cross-sectional area of material over which the force is applied. Wall shear stresses in blood flow relate to the shear exerted by force of the flowing blood onto the wall of the blood vessel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, 6560 Fannin ST944, Houston, 77030, TX, USA

    Prof. Christof Karmonik & Dr. Gavin W. Britz

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  1. Prof. Christof Karmonik
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  2. Dr. Gavin W. Britz
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Correspondence to Christof Karmonik .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus MLU, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany

    Peter Lanzer

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Karmonik, C., Britz, G.W. (2014). Computational Fluid Dynamics and Cerebral Aneurysms. In: Lanzer, P. (eds) PanVascular Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37393-0_33-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37393-0_33-1

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