The extended νWERP-t method demonstrated improved accuracy over alternative energy-based approaches for estimating relative pressure in turbulent flows using in-vitro phantoms and an in-silico model.
Does the νWERP-t method improve the accuracy of non-invasive relative pressure estimation in turbulent flows compared to alternative energy-based approaches in in-vitro and in-silico models?
The extended νWERP-t method improves the accuracy of non-invasive relative pressure estimation in turbulent flows, potentially expanding its clinical utility for cardiovascular disease assessment.
Vascular pressure differences are established risk markers for a number of cardiovascular diseases. Relative pressures are, however, often driven by turbulence-induced flow fluctuations, where conventional non-invasive methods may yield inaccurate results. Recently, we proposed a novel method for non-turbulent flows, νWERP, utilizing the concept of virtual work-energy to accurately probe relative pressure through complex branching vasculature. Here, we present an extension of this approach for turbulent flows: νWERP-t. We present a theoretical method derivation based on flow covariance, quantifying the impact of flow fluctuations on relative pressure. νWERP-t is tested on a set of in-vitro stenotic flow phantoms with data acquired by 4D flow MRI with six-directional flow encoding, as well as on a patient-specific in-silico model of an acute aortic dissection. Over all tests νWERP-t shows improved accuracy over alternative energy-based approaches, with excellent recovery of estimated relative pressures. In particular, the use of a guaranteed divergence-free virtual field improves accuracy in cases where turbulent flows skew the apparent divergence of the acquired field. With the original νWERP allowing for assessment of relative pressure into previously inaccessible vasculatures, the extended νWERP-t further enlarges the method's clinical scope, underlining its potential as a novel tool for assessing relative pressure in-vivo.
Marlevi et al. (Thu,) conducted a other in Cardiovascular diseases with turbulent flow (e.g., acute aortic dissection). νWERP-t (virtual work-energy relative pressure for turbulent flows) vs. Alternative energy-based approaches was evaluated on Accuracy of estimated relative pressures. The extended νWERP-t method demonstrated improved accuracy over alternative energy-based approaches for estimating relative pressure in turbulent flows using in-vitro phantoms and an in-silico model.