One of the relevant phenomenon associated with in-stent restenosis in coronary arteries is an altered haemodynamics in the stented region. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers the possibility to investigate the haemodynamics at a level of detail not always accessible within experimental techniques. CFD can quantify and correlate the local haemodynamics structures which might lead to in-stent restenosis. The aim of this work is to study the fluid dynamics of realistic stented coronary artery models which replicate the complete clinical procedure of stent implantation. Two cases of pathologic left anterior descending coronary arteries with their bifurcations are reconstructed from computed tomography angiography and conventional coronary angiography images. Results of wall shear stress and relative residence time show that the wall regions more prone to the risk of restenosis are located next to stent struts, to the bifurcations and to the stent overlapping zone for both investigated cases. Considering a bulk flow analysis, helical flow structures are generated by the curvature of the zone upstream from the stent and by the bifurcation regions. Helical recirculating microstructures are also visible downstream from the stent struts. This study demonstrates the feasibility to virtually investigate the haemodynamics of patient-specific coronary bifurcation geometries.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) represents an established recent technology in a high risk patient base. To better understand TAVR performance, a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model of a self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve was proposed. After an in vitro durability experiment was done to test the valve, the FSI model was built to reproduce the experimental test. Lastly, the FSI model was used to simulate the virtual implant and performance in a patient-specific case. Results showed that the leaflet opening area during the cycle was similar to that of the in vitro test and the difference of the maximum leaflet opening between the two methodologies was of 0.42%. Furthermore, the FSI simulation quantified the pressure and velocity fields. The computed strain amplitudes in the stent frame showed that this distribution in the patient-specific case is highly affected by the aortic root anatomy, suggesting that the in vitro tests that follow standards might not be representative of the real behavior of the percutaneous valve. The patient-specific case also compared in vivo literature data on fast opening and closing characteristics of the aortic valve during systolic ejection. FSI simulations represent useful tools in determining design errors or optimization potentials before the fabrication of aortic valve prototypes and the performance of tests.

No abstract

The clinical challenge of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is highly dependent on the recognition of the coronary anatomy of each individual. The classic imaging modality used for PCI is angiography, but advanced imaging techniques that are routinely performed during PCI, like optical coherence tomography (OCT), may provide detailed knowledge of the pre-intervention vessel anatomy as well as the post-procedural assessment of the specific stent-to-vessel interactions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an emerging investigational tool in the setting of optimization of PCI results. In this study, an OCT-based reconstruction method was developed for the execution of CFD simulations of patient-specific coronary artery models which include the actual geometry of the implanted stent. The method was applied to a rigid phantom resembling a stented segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The segmentation algorithm was validated against manual segmentation. A strong correlation was found between automatic and manual segmentation of lumen in terms of area values. Similarity indices resulted >96% for the lumen segmentation and >77% for the stent strut segmentation. The 3D reconstruction achieved for the stented phantom was also assessed with the geometry provided by X-ray computed micro tomography scan, used as ground truth, and showed the incidence of distortion from catheter-based imaging techniques. The 3D reconstruction was successfully used to perform CFD analyses, demonstrating a great potential for patient-specific investigations. In conclusion, OCT may represent a reliable source for patient-specific CFD analyses which may be optimized using dedicated automatic segmentation algorithms.

Aims Atherosclerotic plaque development has been associated with wall shear stress (WSS). However, the multidirectionality of blood flow, and thus of WSS, is rarely taken into account. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively compare five metrics that describe (multidirectional) WSS behaviour and assess how WSS multidirectionality affects coronary plaque initiation and progression. Methods and results Adult familial hypercholesterolaemic pigs (n = 10) that were fed a high-fat diet, underwent imaging of the three main coronary arteries at three-time points [3 (T1), 9 (T2), and 10–12 (T3) months]. Three-dimensional geometry of the arterial lumen, in combination with local flow velocity measurements, was used to calculate WSS at T1 and T2. For analysis, arteries were divided into 3 mm/45° sectors (n = 3648). Changes in wall thickness and final plaque composition were assessed with near-infrared spectroscopy–intravascular ultrasound, optical coherence tomography imaging, and histology. Both in pigs with advanced and mild disease, the highest plaque progression rate was exclusively found at low time-averaged WSS (TAWSS) or high multidirectional WSS regions at both T1 and T2. However, the eventually largest plaque growth was located in regions with initial low TAWSS or high multidirectional WSS that, over time, became exposed to high TAWSS or low multidirectional WSS at T2. Besides plaque size, also the presence of vulnerable plaque components at the last time point was related to low and multidirectional WSS. Almost all WSS metrics had good predictive values for the development of plaque (47–50%) and advanced fibrous cap atheroma (FCA) development (59–61%). Conclusion This study demonstrates that low and multidirectional WSS promote both initiation and progression of coronary atherosclerotic plaques. The high-predictive values of the multidirectional WSS metrics for FCA development indicate their potential as an additional clinical marker for the vulnerable disease.

Despite their success, stenting procedures are still associated to some clinical problems like sub-acute thrombosis and in-stent restenosis. Several clinical studies associate these phenomena to a combination of both structural and hemodynamic alterations caused by stent implantation. Recently, numerical models have been widely used in the literature to investigate stenting procedures but always from either a purely structural or fluid dynamic point of view. The aim of this work is the implementation of sequential structural and fluid dynamic numerical models to provide a better understanding of stenting procedures in coronary bifurcations. In particular, the realistic geometrical configurations obtained with structural simulations were used to create the fluid domains employed within transient fluid dynamic analyses. This sequential approach was applied to investigate the final kissing balloon (FKB) inflation during the provisional side branch technique. Mechanical stresses in the arterial wall and the stent as well as wall shear stresses along the arterial wall were examined before and after the FKB deployment. FKB provoked average mechanical stresses in the arterial wall almost 2.5 times higher with respect to those induced by inflation of the stent in the main branch only. Results also enlightened FKB benefits in terms of improved local blood flow pattern for the side branch access. As a drawback, the FKB generates a larger region of low wall shear stress. In particular, after FKB the percentage of area characterized by wall shear stresses lower than 0.5 Pa was 79.0%, while before the FKB it was 62.3%. For these reasons, a new tapered balloon dedicated to bifurcations was proposed. The inclusion of the modified balloon has reduced the mechanical stresses in the proximal arterial vessel to 40% and the low wall shear stress coverage area to 71.3%. In conclusion, these results show the relevance of the adopted sequential approach to study the wall mechanics and the hemodynamics created by stent deployment.

No abstract

Although coronary tortuosity can influence the hemodynamics of coronary arteries, the relationship between tortuosity and flow has not been thoroughly investigated partly due to the absence of a widely accepted definition of tortuosity and the lack of patient-specific studies that analyze complete coronary trees. Using a computational approach we investigated the effects of tortuosity on coronary flow parameters including pressure drop, wall shear stress, and helical flow strength as measured by helicity intensity. Our analysis considered idealized and patient-specific geometries. Overall results indicate that perfusion pressure decreases with increased tortuosity, but the patient-specific results show that more tortuous vessels have higher physiological wall shear stress values. Differences between the idealized and patient-specific results reveal that an accurate representation of coronary tortuosity must account for all relevant geometric aspects, including curvature imposed by the heart shape. The patient-specific results exhibit a strong correlation between tortuosity and helicity intensity, and the corresponding helical flow contributes directly to the observed increase in wall shear stress. Therefore, helicity intensity may prove helpful in developing a universal parameter to describe tortuosity and assess its impact on patient health. Our data suggest that increased tortuosity could have a deleterious impact via a reduction in coronary perfusion pressure, but the attendant increase in wall shear stress could afford protection against atherosclerosis.