Patient specific modelling of the blood flow through the human aorta is performed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Velocity patterns are compared between computer simulations and measurements. The workflow includes several steps: MRI measurement to obtain both geometry and velocity, an automatic levelset segmentation followed by meshing of the geometrical model and CFD setup to perform the simulations follwed by the actual simulations. The computational results agree well with the measured data.

Turbulent flow in the cardiovascular system may increase the risk for severe arterial disease. This workaddresses the feasibility of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) using a general purpose code as a tool for assessmentof cardiovascular flow and investigates Wall Shear Stress (WSS) in steady as well as pulsating turbulent pipeflow. Poiseuille flow was specified at the inlet, and with a suitable ammount of perturbations at the inlet it waspossible to predict experimental data. The extent of the recirculation zone was affected by the inlet disturbances,and magnitude as well as direction of the WSS vector varied significantly at the reattachment point. For thepulsating flow, WSS shows a complex pattern with different spatial and temporal variation along the pipe. Thewall shear stress gradient was calculated on the entire post-stenotic surface and each component in the gradientwas investigated. The off-diagonal components in the gradient are usually assumed to be small, but here they werefound to be on the same order of magnitude as the diagonal terms. This work demonstrates the need for a scaleresolving simulation technique to accurately model cardiovascular flows.

Large eddy simulation was applied for flow of Re = 2000 in a stenosed pipe in order to undertake a thorough investigation of the wall shear stress (WSS) in turbulent flow. A decomposition of the WSS into time averaged and fluctuating components is proposed. It was concluded that a scale resolving technique is required to completely describe the WSS pattern in a subject specific vessel model, since the poststenotic region was dominated by large axial and circumferential fluctuations. Three poststenotic regions of different WSS characteristics were identified. The recirculation zone was subject to a time averaged WSS in the retrograde direction and large fluctuations. After reattachment there was an ante grade shear and smaller fluctuations than in the recirculation zone. At the reattachment the fluctuations were the largest, but no direction dominated over time. Due to symmetry the circumferential time average was always zero. Thus, in a blood vessel, the axial fluctuations would affect endothelial cells in a stretched state, whereas the circumferential fluctuations would act in a relaxed direction.

In this study, large-eddy simulation (LES) is employed to calculate the disturbed flow field and the wall shear stress (WSS) in a subject specific human aorta. Velocity and geometry measurements using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are taken as input to the model to provide accurate boundary conditions and to assure the physiological relevance. In total, 50 consecutive cardiac cycles were simulated from which a phase average was computed to get a statistically reliable result. A decomposition similar to Reynolds decomposition is introduced, where the WSS signal is divided into a pulsating part (due to the mass flow rate) and a fluctuating part (originating from the disturbed flow). Oscillatory shear index (OSI) is plotted against time-averaged WSS in a novel way, and locations on the aortic wall where elevated values existed could easily be found. In general, high and oscillating WSS values were found in the vicinity of the branches in the aortic arch, while low and oscillating WSS were present in the inner curvature of the descending aorta. The decomposition of WSS into a pulsating and a fluctuating part increases the understanding of how WSS affects the aortic wall, which enables both qualitative and quantitative comparisons.

Large eddy simulation was applied to investigate hemodynamics in a model with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and post-stenotic dilatation. Special focus was put on the role of hemodynamics for success of CoA repair. Several parameters previously identified as related to cardiovascular disease were studied. Known risk factors were observed both with CoA and after repair, and the restoration of the anatomy seems to be crucial for a successful result.