Key result
Circle of Willis modeling shows brain vascular resistance, not arterial geometry, primarily drives blood redistribution.
Why the study?
A computational model of the circle of Willis that incorporates peripheral resistance is needed to better understand blood flow redistribution and the impact of common abnormalities.
Computational fluid dynamics models of the circle of Willis demonstrate that blood redistribution is primarily driven by brain vascular resistance rather than local arterial geometry.
Prioritizes resistance parameters in circle of Willis models; leaves open in vivo validation and clinical relevance.
A two-dimensional, steady state model of the circle of Willis has been developed. To simulate the peripheral resistance of the cerebrovascular tree, blocks of porous media were used. Their effective resistance was kept constant, disregarding the effects of arterial auto-regulation. The model was then used to simulate different common abnormalities of the circle of Willis while a range of varying boundary conditions was imposed to the right internal carotid artery (ICA). The total flux was tabulated and compared favourably with both clinical measurements and other models of the circle of Willis. Relevant fluid dynamics effects were also observed and analysed. The present model demonstrates that the use of CFD can produce physiological results if the appropriate boundary conditions are used. We can provide clinicians with a priority list of the severity of the flux reduction for the considered abnormalities for different degrees of stenosis of the right ICA. From this study it is apparent that the redistribution of blood via the circle of Willis is mainly driven by changes in the vascular resistance of the brain rather than in the local arterial geometry. The use of valid peripheral resistances allows for a more realistic model of the circle of Willis but also highlights the need for more accurate means to estimate the vascular resistance of a patient.
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Ferrández et al. (2001) studied Abnormalities of the circle of Willis. Computational fluid dynamics modeling was evaluated on Total flux. Computational fluid dynamics modeling of the circle of Willis demonstrated that blood redistribution is mainly driven by changes in brain vascular resistance rather than local arterial geometry.
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