Coronary three vessel disease: hydrodynamic simulations including the time-dependence of the microvascular resistances

This paper presents some simulations of fluxes and pressures in the coronary network, in the case of very severe coronary disease (several stenoses on the left branches and total occlusion of the right coronary artery). In that case, coronary artery bypass graft surgery is the commonly performed procedure. However, the success of the intervention depends on many factors. Modeling of the coronary circulation is thus important since it can help to understand the influence of all these factors on the coronary haemodynamics. We previously developed an analog electrical model that includes the eventual presence of collateral flows, and can describe the different revascularization strategies (two grafts, three grafts, ...). The aim of the present work is to introduce in our simulations the time-dependence of the coronary microvascular resistances, in order to better represent the effect of the systolic ventricular contraction (which induces an elevation of the resistances because the vessels are squeezed).