Hemodynamic effects of small abdominal aortic aneurysm morphologies under resting and exercise conditions

This study investigated how low-intensity exercise affects hemodynamics in small saccular and fusiform abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Patient-specific CFD simulations were performed under resting and exercise conditions. At rest, saccular AAAs exhibited smaller low-shear, high-oscillatory, and high-activation regions than fusiform AAAs. Exercise eliminated low-shear zones and reduced oscillatory behavior but induced high-shear jets impacting saccular walls, while fusiform AAAs showed more uniform flow. These findings suggest that low-intensity exercise improves adverse hemodynamics and achieves a better balance between shear normalization and wall stress in fusiform AAAs, whereas saccular AAAs may experience localized stress elevation and increased rupture risk.