Ricerc@Sapienza

The objective of this research is the fluid dynamic analysis of the blood flow in arteries in the presence of pathological dilations (aneurysms). The problem is of significant interest in the medical and scientific fields, since the most frequent and dramatic clinical event linked to the presence of an aneurysm is its rupture and consequent hemorrhage, with extremely serious clinical consequences. Nowadays, the most widely used criterion in the medical field to predict the aneurysm rupture is based on the maximum diameter value. Nevertheless, it is well known that small aneurysms rupture while some large ones remain intact for a long time. In this context, the study of the fluid dynamics field in the dilated artery is fundamental, since the crucial role played by hemodynamics in the growth and possible rupture of the aneurysm.
This study analyzes the influence of the main hemodynamic factors on the evolution of the artery dilatation as a function of its geometry, size, tortuosity and the presence of any intraluminal thrombus. The numerical investigation will be carried out both in idealized aneurysmal geometries and in patient-specific aneurysm models, which will be reconstructed from the medical imaging (CT, MRI). Blood flow will be analyzed in physiological conditions of pulsating motion and suitable non-Newtonian rheological models will be adopted.
In particular, wall shear stresses and vorticity evolution during the cardiac cycle distribution we will be analyzed in order to establish a possible link between these quantities and the aneurysm growth and provide physicians with additional and essential diagnostic tools in the treatment of the disease and planning surgery.