Initial simplified design on cerebrovascular for haemodynamic effects: correlation analysis between stenosis severity and disruption in velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress

This study investigated the haemodynamic effects by simulating simplified cerebrovascular at different stenosis levels. To improve the understanding of haemodynamic changes due to atherosclerosis, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are employed to visualise wall shear stress (WSS), pressure distribution, and flow rate within arterial models. Three different degrees of arterial atherosclerosis, specifically 25%, 50% and 75% plaque thickness have been examined. Findings show that in the severe atherosclerosis of 75%, blood flow velocity through the plaque undergoes a significant change, leading to low pressure due to extreme narrowing and resulting turbulent flow. Moreover, WSS contours reveal extensive and severe red zones when atherosclerosis reaches 75%, especially within and beyond the severely constricted region. Although the individual parameters were visualised, the velocity-pressure correlation for each atherosclerosis level showed velocity peaks around 10 m/s for 50% plaque and sharply increasing to nearly 100 m/s for 75% plaque. In mild atherosclerosis (25% plaque), both velocity and pressure profiles remain relatively stable. This study offers deeper insights and understanding on how atherosclerosis alters cerebral circulation, potentially enhancing diagnostic accuracy and treatment strategies for stroke prevention.