Influence of the liver vascular distribution on its overall mechanical behavior: A first approach to multiscale fluid-structure homogenization

Medical applications require the numerical models to be both precise and quickly computed. In the context of liver surgery, this study aims to develop a homogenized mechanical model of the liver accounting for both hepatic tissue properties and macroscopic level blood flow impact. For this, a fluid analysis is carried out to simulate the blood flow inside the liver vessels and extract the pressure on the liver vascularization walls. This pressure is then integrated through a homogenization study, based first on alternative Eshelby type approach, then through a Mori-Tanaka scheme to compute the equivalent material rigidity. Once the equivalent mechanical properties identified, they are integrated into the macroscopic liver model, allowing a light quickly computed model integrating the underlying physics relying on the blood flow mechanical impact.