A CFD study on coronary artery haemodynamics with dynamic vessel motion based on MR images

Atherosclerosis is linked to local haemodynamics, particularly to low and oscillatory wall shear stress (WSS) [Caro, 1971]. The coronary arteries are a common site of atherosclerosis, but haemodynamic patterns in coronary arteries differ significantly from other arteries owing to diastolic-dominant flow and cardiac-induced dynamic vessel motion. The effects of vessel motion on flow patterns are still unclear despite previous investigations, e.g. [Myers, 2001]. The present study is the first attempt at MR image-based coronary flow simulation using subject-specific anatomical and flow data incorporating dynamic vessel motion. Comparisons between dynamic and static coronary artery models were made to elucidate the effect of vessel motion on coronary haemodynamics.