Pulsatile Flow in an End-to-Side Vascular Graft Model: Comparison of Computations With Experimental Data

2000 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lei ◽  
D. P. Giddens ◽  
S. A. Jones ◽  
F. Loth ◽  
H. Bassiouny

Various hemodynamic factors have been implicated in vascular graft intimal hyperplasia, the major mechanism contributing to chronic failure of small-diameter grafts. However, a thorough knowledge of the graft flow field is needed in order to determine the role of hemodynamics and how these factors affect the underlying biological processes. Computational fluid dynamics offers much more versatility and resolution than in vitro or in vivo methods, yet computations must be validated by careful comparison with experimental data. Whereas numerous numerical and in vitro simulations of arterial geometries have been reported, direct point-by-point comparisons of the two techniques are rare in the literature. We have conducted finite element computational analyses for a model of an end-to-side vascular graft and compared the results with experimental data obtained using laser-Doppler velocimetry. Agreement for velocity profiles is found to be good, with some clear differences near the recirculation zones during the deceleration and reverse-flow segments of the flow waveform. Wall shear stresses are determined from velocity gradients, whether by computational or experimental methods, and hence the agreement for this quantity, while still good, is less consistent than for velocity itself. From the wall shear stress numerical results, we computed four variables that have been cited in the development of intimal hyperplasia—the time-averaged wall shear stress, an oscillating shear index, and spatial and temporal wall shear stress gradients—in order to illustrate the versatility of numerical methods. We conclude that the computational approach is a valid alternative to the experimental approach for quantitative hemodynamic studies. Where differences in velocity were found by the two methods, it was generally attributed to the inability of the numerical method to model the fluid dynamics when flow conditions are destabilizing. Differences in wall shear, in the absence of destabilizing phenomena, were more likely to be caused by difficulties in calculating wall shear from relatively low resolution in vitro data.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire A. Dessalles ◽  
Clara Ramón-Lozano ◽  
Avin Babataheri ◽  
Abdul I. Barakat

AbstractIn the microvasculature, blood flow-derived forces are key regulators of vascular structure and function. Consequently, the development of hydrogel-based microvessel-on-chip systems that strive to mimic the in vivo cellular organization and mechanical environment has received great attention in recent years. However, despite intensive efforts, current microvessel- on-chip systems suffer from several limitations, most notably failure to produce physiologically relevant wall strain levels. In this study, a novel microvessel-on-chip based on the templating technique and using luminal flow actuation to generate physiologically relevant levels of wall shear stress and circumferential stretch is presented. Normal forces induced by the luminal pressure compress the surrounding soft collagen hydrogel, dilate the channel, and create large circumferential strain. The fluid pressure gradient in the system drives flow forward and generates realistic pulsatile wall shear stresses. Rigorous characterization of the system reveals the crucial role played by the poroelastic behavior of the hydrogel in determining the magnitudes of the wall shear stress and strain. The experimental measurements are combined with an analytical model of flow in both the lumen and the porous hydrogel to provide an exceptionally versatile user manual for an application-based choice of parameters in microvessels-on-chip. This unique strategy of flow actuation adds a dimension to the capabilities of microvessel-on-chip systems and provides a more general framework for improving hydrogel-based in vitro engineered platforms.Abstract Figure


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Steinman ◽  
Bach Vinh ◽  
C. Ross Ethier ◽  
M. Ojha ◽  
R. S. C. Cobbold ◽  
...  

In order to understand the possible role that hemodynamic factors may play in the pathogenesis of distal anastomotic intimal hyperplasia, we carried out numerical simulations of the flow field within a two-dimensional 45 degree rigid-walled end-to-side model anastomosis. The numerical code was tested and compared with experimental (photochromic dye tracer) studies using steady and near-sinusoidal waveforms, and agreement was generally very good. Using a normal human superficial femoral artery waveform, numerical simulations indicated elevated instantaneous wall shear stress magnitudes at the toe and heel of the graft-host junction and along the host artery bed. These sites also experienced highly variable wall shear stress behavior over the cardiac cycle, as well as elevated spatial gradients of wall shear stress. These observations provide additional evidence that intimal hyperplasia may be correlated to wall shear stresses over the cardiac cycle, high wall shear stress gradients, or a combination of the three. The limitations of the present work (especially in regard to the two-dimensional nature of the flow simulations) are discussed, and results are compared to previous observations about distal anastomotic intimal hyperplasia.


Author(s):  
Liang-Der Jou

Effects of wall shear stress on atherosclerotic disease are widely studied, but its effects on intracranial aneurysms are less clear. In vitro studies have demonstrated that endothelial cells (EC) go through morphological changes under abnormal wall shear stress, and these studies have also shown that abnormal wall shear stresses lead to a non-uniform EC distributions [1, 2]. Since endothelial cells play a critical role in mechanotransduction, a sub-optimal distribution of EC may affect remodeling of vessel wall.


2016 ◽  
pp. 591-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. GRUS ◽  
G. GRUSOVÁ ◽  
L. LAMBERT ◽  
R. BANERJEE ◽  
J. MATĚCHA ◽  
...  

The geometric shape of the distal anastomosis in an infrainguinal bypass has an influence on its durability. In this article, we compared three different angles of the anastomosis with regard to the hemodynamics. Three experimental models of the distal infrainguinal anastomosis with angles of 25°, 45°, and 60° respectively were constructed according to the similarity theory to assess flow in the anastomoses using particle image velocimetry and computational fluid dynamics. In the toe, heel, and floor of the anastomosis that correspond to the locations worst affected by intimal hyperplasia, adverse blood flow and wall shear stress were observed in the 45° and 60° models. In the 25° model, laminar blood flow was apparent more peripherally from the anastomosis. In conclusions, decreasing the distal anastomosis angle in a femoropopliteal bypass results in more favorable hemodynamics including the flow pattern and wall shear stress in locations susceptible to intimal hyperplasia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5635
Author(s):  
Katharina Urschel ◽  
Miyuki Tauchi ◽  
Stephan Achenbach ◽  
Barbara Dietel

In the 1900s, researchers established animal models experimentally to induce atherosclerosis by feeding them with a cholesterol-rich diet. It is now accepted that high circulating cholesterol is one of the main causes of atherosclerosis; however, plaque localization cannot be explained solely by hyperlipidemia. A tremendous amount of studies has demonstrated that hemodynamic forces modify endothelial athero-susceptibility phenotypes. Endothelial cells possess mechanosensors on the apical surface to detect a blood stream-induced force on the vessel wall, known as “wall shear stress (WSS)”, and induce cellular and molecular responses. Investigations to elucidate the mechanisms of this process are on-going: on the one hand, hemodynamics in complex vessel systems have been described in detail, owing to the recent progress in imaging and computational techniques. On the other hand, investigations using unique in vitro chamber systems with various flow applications have enhanced the understanding of WSS-induced changes in endothelial cell function and the involvement of the glycocalyx, the apical surface layer of endothelial cells, in this process. In the clinical setting, attempts have been made to measure WSS and/or glycocalyx degradation non-invasively, for the purpose of their diagnostic utilization. An increasing body of evidence shows that WSS, as well as serum glycocalyx components, can serve as a predicting factor for atherosclerosis development and, most importantly, for the rupture of plaques in patients with high risk of coronary heart disease.


1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Daniel Ackerman ◽  
Louis Wong ◽  
C. Ross Ethier ◽  
D. Grant Allen ◽  
Jan K. Spelt

We present a Preston tube device that combines both total and static pressure readings for the measurement of wall shear stress. As such, the device facilitates the measurement of wall shear stress under conditions where there is streamline curvature and/or over surfaces on which it is difficult to either manufacture an array of static-pressure taps or to position a single tap. Our “Preston-static” device is easily and conveniently constructed from commercially available regular and side-bored syringe needles. The pressure difference between the total pressure measured in the regular syringe needle and the static pressure measured in the side-bored one is used to determine the wall shear stress. Wall shear stresses measured in pipe flow were consistent with independently determined values and values obtained using a conventional Preston tube. These results indicate that Preston-static tubes provide a reliable and convenient method of measuring wall shear stress.


Author(s):  
Han-Sheng Chuang ◽  
Steven T. Wereley

Conventional single pixel evaluation (SPE) significantly improves the spatial resolution of PIV measurements to the physical limit of a CCD camera based on the forward difference interrogation (FDI). This paper further enhances the computational algorithm to second-order accuracy by simply modifying the numerical scheme with the central difference interrogation (CDI). The proposed central difference scheme basically superposes the forward-time and the backward-time correlation domains, thus resulting in reduced bias error as well as rapid background noise elimination. An assessment of the CDI SPE algorithm regarding the measurement errors was achieved via numerous synthetic images subject to a four-roll mill flow. In addition, preliminary wall shear stress (WSS) measurements regarding different algorithms are also evaluated with an analytical turbulent boundary flow. CDI scheme showed a 0.32% error deviated from the analytical solution and improved the same error in FFT-based correlation correlation (FFT-CC) by 32.35%. To demonstrate the performance in practice, in-vitro measurements were implemented in a serpentine microchannel made of polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) for both CDI SPE and spatial cross-correlation. A series of steady-state flow images at five specified regions of interest were acquired using micro-PIV system. Final comparisons of the WSS regarding the Pearson correlation coefficient, R2, between the numerical schemes and the simulations showed that an overall result was improved by CDI SPE due to the fine resolution and the enhanced accuracy.


2000 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujata Prakash ◽  
C. Ross Ethier

Computational techniques are widely used for studying large artery hemodynamics. Current trends favor analyzing flow in more anatomically realistic arteries. A significant obstacle to such analyses is generation of computational meshes that accurately resolve both the complex geometry and the physiologically relevant flow features. Here we examine, for a single arterial geometry, how velocity and wall shear stress patterns depend on mesh characteristics. A well-validated Navier-Stokes solver was used to simulate flow in an anatomically realistic human right coronary artery (RCA) using unstructured high-order tetrahedral finite element meshes. Velocities, wall shear stresses (WSS), and wall shear stress gradients were computed on a conventional “high-resolution” mesh series (60,000 to 160,000 velocity nodes) generated with a commercial meshing package. Similar calculations were then performed in a series of meshes generated through an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) methodology. Mesh-independent velocity fields were not very difficult to obtain for both the conventional and adaptive mesh series. However, wall shear stress fields, and, in particular, wall shear stress gradient fields, were much more difficult to accurately resolve. The conventional (nonadaptive) mesh series did not show a consistent trend towards mesh-independence of WSS results. For the adaptive series, it required approximately 190,000 velocity nodes to reach an r.m.s. error in normalized WSS of less than 10 percent. Achieving mesh-independence in computed WSS fields requires a surprisingly large number of nodes, and is best approached through a systematic solution-adaptive mesh refinement technique. Calculations of WSS, and particularly WSS gradients, show appreciable errors even on meshes that appear to produce mesh-independent velocity fields.


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