An efficient full space-time discretization method for subject-specific hemodynamic simulations of cerebral arterial blood flow with distensible wall mechanics

• Published in: Journal of biomechanics Vol. 87; pp. 37 - 47
• Main Authors: Park, Chang Sub, Alaraj, Ali, Du, Xinjian, Charbel, Fady T., Linninger, Andreas A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 18.04.2019; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Arteries - physiology; Biomechanics; Blood circulation; Blood flow; Blood Flow Velocity; Blood vessels; Cerebral arterial tree; Cerebral blood flow; Cerebrovascular Circulation - physiology; Computer applications; Computer Simulation; Conflicts of interest; Discretization; Flow distribution; Fluid-structure interaction; Fourier series; Hemodynamics; Hemodynamics - physiology; Humans; Mathematical models; Models, Cardiovascular; One-dimensional blood flow; Pulsatile flow; Quantitative magnetic resonance angiography; Robustness (mathematics); Simulation; Spacetime; Veins & arteries; Viscoelasticity; One-dimensional blood flow; Quantitative magnetic resonance angiography; Cerebral arterial tree; Pulsatile flow; Fluid-structure interaction
• ISSN: 0021-9290; 1873-2380; 1873-2380
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.02.014

A computationally inexpensive mathematical solution approach using orthogonal collocations for space discretization with temporal Fourier series is proposed to compute subject-specific blood flow in distensible vessels of large cerebral arterial networks. Several models of wall biomechanics were considered to assess their impact on hemodynamic predictions. Simulations were validated against in vivo blood flow measurements in six human subjects. The average root-mean-square relative differences were found to be less than 4.3% for all subjects with a linear elastic wall model. This discrepancy decreased further in a viscoelastic Kelvin-Voigt biomechanical wall. The results provide support for the use of collocation-Fourier series approach to predict clinically relevant blood flow distribution and collateral blood supply in large portions of the cerebral circulation at reasonable computational costs. It thus opens the possibility of performing computationally inexpensive subject-specific simulations that are robust and fast enough to predict clinical results in real time on the same day.