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Influence of coronary bifurcation angle on atherosclerosis

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Abstract

Hemodynamics plays a crucial role in the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis, which is prone to occur in branch bifurcation. An individual aortic-coronary artery model and three changed bifurcation angle models are constructed by Mimics and Freeform based on computed tomography angiography. The influence of different coronary bifurcation angles between left main (LM), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCX) on the blood flow field and related hemodynamic parameters are studied. It is shown that a wider bifurcation angle between LAD and LCX can cause a wider low-wall shear stress area, leading to atherosclerosis. Similarly, a decreased angle between LM and LAD is predisposed to prevent atherosclerosis. The results help to better understand the hemodynamic causes of atherosclerosis with various bifurcation angles in coronary arteries and to provide guidance for clinical assessment and prevention.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the support of the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (Grant 20131103110025), the Key Program of Science and Technology Plan of Beijing Municipal Education Commission (Grant KZ201710005006), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 81601557).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Electronics Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China

    Zhaomiao Liu, Shengwei Zhao, Yunjie Li, Feng Shen & Yipeng Qi

  2. Department of Cardiology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China

    Qi Wang

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  1. Zhaomiao Liu
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  2. Shengwei Zhao
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  3. Yunjie Li
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Correspondence to Zhaomiao Liu.

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Liu, Z., Zhao, S., Li, Y. et al. Influence of coronary bifurcation angle on atherosclerosis. Acta Mech. Sin. 35, 1269–1278 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-019-00878-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-019-00878-7

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