Numerical analysis of the hemodynamic effect of plaque ulceration in the stenotic carotid artery bifurcation

Emily Y. Wong; Jaques S. Milner; David A. Steinman; Tamie L. Poepping; David W. Holdsworth

doi:10.1117/12.813707

13 March 2009 Numerical analysis of the hemodynamic effect of plaque ulceration in the stenotic carotid artery bifurcation

Emily Y. Wong, Jaques S. Milner, David A. Steinman, Tamie L. Poepping, David W. Holdsworth

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7261, Medical Imaging 2009: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures, and Modeling; 72611V (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.813707
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2009, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando Area), Florida, United States

Abstract

The presence of ulceration in carotid artery plaque is an independent risk factor for thromboembolic stroke. However, the associated pathophysiological mechanisms - in particular the mechanisms related to the local hemodynamics in the carotid artery bifurcation - are not well understood. We investigated the effect of carotid plaque ulceration on the local time-varying three-dimensional flow field using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of a stenosed carotid bifurcation geometry, with and without the presence of ulceration. CFD analysis of each model was performed with a spatial finite element discretization of over 150,000 quadratic tetrahedral elements and a temporal discretization of 4800 timesteps per cardiac cycle, to adequately resolve the flow field and pulsatile flow, respectively. Pulsatile flow simulations were iterated for five cardiac cycles to allow for cycle-to-cycle analysis following the damping of initial transients in the solution. Comparison between models revealed differences in flow patterns induced by flow exiting from the region of the ulcer cavity, in particular, to the shape, orientation and helicity of the high velocity jet through the stenosis. The stenotic jet in both models exhibited oscillatory motion, but produced higher levels of phase-ensembled turbulence intensity in the ulcerated model. In addition, enhanced out-of-plane recirculation and helical flow was observed in the ulcerated model. These preliminary results suggest that local fluid behaviour may contribute to the thrombogenic risk associated with plaque ulcerations in the stenotic carotid artery bifurcation.

Citation Download Citation

Emily Y. Wong, Jaques S. Milner, David A. Steinman, Tamie L. Poepping, and David W. Holdsworth "Numerical analysis of the hemodynamic effect of plaque ulceration in the stenotic carotid artery bifurcation", Proc. SPIE 7261, Medical Imaging 2009: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures, and Modeling, 72611V (13 March 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.813707

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