Principles and clinical applications of computational fluid dynamics in aneurysms of the abdominal aorta

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics, referring to the numerical analysis of flow fields. CFD is widely applied in blood flow analysis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs), providing precision information of the blood flow field and wall stresses of the cardiovascular system. It has the advantages of individualization and noninvasiveness. It is used to predict the risk of growth and rupture of AAA and to evaluate the outcomes after endovascular aortic repair. Focused on AAA and TAAA, this review introduces the principles and clinical research progresses of CFD and looks forward to the future research directions.