Near wall flow structures in cerebral aneurysms

Blood flow simulations have long been considered as a valuable tool for a deeper understanding of the physiopathology of intracranial aneurysms. Many authors built robust computational settings based on accurate computer-assisted registration, segmentation, and 3D geometry reconstruction from medical images of patient specific cerebral aneurysms, and special techniques to derive appropriate boundary conditions. However, an accurate description of flow mechanics in the near wall region and its connection with the evolution of the wall disease evolution remains linked to several questions not yet fully understood. Recently, some authors [1,2] have suggested a lower order approximation of the Lagrangian dynamics in the near wall region, which allows for a meaningful characterization of both normal and parallel direction to the wall. We verify this computational approach with a cohort of brain aneurysms and try to provide a step further in the understanding of the hemodynamic environment and its possible connection with the risk of rupture. [1] A. M. Gambaruto, D. J. Doorly, and T. Yamaguchi, “Wall shear stress and near-wall convective transport: Comparisons with vascular remodeling in a peripheral graft anastomosis,” Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 229, no. 14, pp.5339–5356, 2010. [2] A. Gambaruto and A. Joao, “Flow structures in cerebral aneurysms,” Computers & Fluids, vol. 65, pp. 56–65, 2012.