Abstract. The aim of this project is to validate the Vivabrain pipeline with a physical phantom from real MRI acquisition to MRI simulations through image segmentation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. For that purpose, we set up three comparison benchmarks. The first benchmark compares dimensions of the reconstructed geometry from real MRI acquisition to the physical phantom dimensions. The second aims to validate the CFD simulations by comparing the outputs of two simulations, one carried out using Feel++ and the other using FreeFem++. The CFD outputs are also compared to MRI flow measurement data. The goal of the last comparison benchmark is to compare the MRI simulations outputs to the numerical fluid simulations.
During "basal" condition, the compliance amplitude of the intracranial compartment is heterogeneous in suspected hydrocephalus patients, and its value is lower than expected! This new parameter could represent new information, complementary to conventional infusion tests. We hope that this information can be applied to improve the selection of patients for shunt surgery.
Fluid-structure interactions are numerous in the cerebrospinal system and difficult to understand in the rigid skull. The presented model highlights significant variations of stroke volumes under cardiac frequency variations only.
Kitware SAS, France / USA Abstract. Angiographic imaging is a crucial domain of medical imaging. In particular, Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is used for both clinical and research purposes. This article presents the first framework geared toward the design of virtual MRA images from real MRA images. It relies on a pipeline that involves image processing, vascular modeling, computational fluid dynamics and MR image simulation, with several purposes. It aims to provide to the whole scientific community (1) software tools for MRA analysis and blood flow simulation; and (2) data (computational meshes, virtual MRAs with associated ground truth), in an open-source / open-data paradigm. Beyond these purposes, it constitutes a versatile tool for progressing in the understanding of vascular networks, especially in the brain, and the associated imaging technologies.
The intracranial pressure (ICP) is an important factor in the proper functioning of the brain. This pressure is needed to be constantly regulated, since an abnormal elevation can be quite dangerous. In this article, we develop some numerical tools to better understand the regulation of this pressure. In particular, as it is impossible to measure the ICP in a non-invasive way, these numerical tools can allow to estimate values of the ICP. In addition, we propose to compute the dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), taking into account the connected environment of the skull and the arterio-venous flows. A computational fluid dynamics model in two dimensions is developed for the cerebrospinal fluid system, with Windkessel type boundary conditions. This model shows that the dynamics can impact the distribution of the CSF in the different compartments of the cerebrospinal system.
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