On the flow characteristics in different carotid arteries

Hemodynamics plays an important role in the cause of atherosclerotic disease. In this work, we simulated the flow fields in six human carotids using the sharp-interface immersed boundary method. We compare the axial velocity, the secondary flow, the vortex structures, the area with reversed flows, and the standard deviation of velocity fluctuations for different carotids. The computed results show similarities among different carotids for the overall pattern of different flow characteristics. More importantly, differences are observed in terms of the details of the area of the reversed flow region, the size and shape of the region dominated by reversed flows, and the length of time with reversed flow or dominated by secondary flows, which are strongly correlated with the formation of plaques. Further analysis shows that patient-specific features of the carotid geometry, e.g., the flare and proximal curvature of the carotid, have significant effects on these flow characteristics. This suggests that a patient-specific program is needed for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.