Key result
Inlet velocity profiles determine AAA oscillatory flow characteristics more critically than rheological models.
Why the study?
The effects of non-Newtonian rheology and boundary conditions on pathophysiologies have been studied, but the majority of results lack thorough statistical assessment.
Do different blood rheological models and inlet velocity boundary conditions affect computed vascular flow characteristics in abdominal aortic aneurysms?
Do different blood rheological models and inlet velocity boundary conditions affect computed vascular flow characteristics in abdominal aortic aneurysms?
In computational modeling of abdominal aortic aneurysms, the choice of inlet velocity profile significantly impacts oscillatory flow characteristics more than non-Newtonian rheological specifications.
Prioritizing inlet velocity profiles may refine AAA flow models; leaves open rheology's clinical relevance pending validation.
BACKGROUND: The effects of non-Newtonian rheology and boundary conditions on various pathophysiologies have been studied quite extensively in the literature. The majority of results present qualitative and/or quantitative conclusions that are not thoroughly assessed from a statistical perspective. METHODS: The finite volume method was employed for the numerical simulation of seven patient-specific abdominal aortic aneurysms. For each case, five rheological models and three inlet velocity boundary conditions were considered. Outlier- and heteroscedasticity-robust ANOVA tests assessed the simultaneous effect of rheological specifications and boundary conditions on fourteen variables that capture important characteristics of vascular flows. RESULTS: The selection of inlet velocity profiles appears as a more critical factor relative to rheological specifications, especially regarding differences in the oscillatory characteristics of computed flows. Response variables that relate to the average tangential force on the wall over the entire cycle do not differ significantly across alternative factor levels, as long as one focuses on non-Newtonian specifications. CONCLUSIONS: The two factors, namely blood rheological models and inlet velocity boundary condition, exert additive effects on variables that characterize vascular flows, with negligible interaction effects. Regarding thrombus-prone conditions, the Plug inlet profile offers an advantageous hemodynamic configuration with respect to the other two profiles.
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Tzirakis et al. (2023) studied Abdominal aortic aneurysms (n=7). Rheological models and inlet velocity boundary conditions vs. Alternative rheological models and boundary conditions was evaluated on Fourteen variables capturing important characteristics of vascular flows. Inlet velocity profiles were a more critical factor than rheological specifications for determining the oscillatory characteristics of computed flows in abdominal aortic aneurysms.
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