Modeling and computational fluid dynamics simulation of blood flow behavior based on MRI and CT for atherosclerosis in carotid artery

Carotid atherosclerosis is one of the main cardiovascular diseases, widely considered as the main reason for death. Atherosclerosis forms a plaque that impedes blood vessels, and if ruptured, it causes a stroke or heart attack. The treatment protocol for atherosclerosis depends heavily on plaque type, structure, and composition, affecting plaque behavior (stable/unstable) or vulnerability. The fluid–structure interaction between the blood vessels and the blood flow must be examined to study the plaque's behavior. Consequently, this paper aims to reconstruct patient-specific three-dimensional models of the blood vessels for simulation and three-dimensional (3D) Printing, particularly for the carotid artery. In addition, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) datasets of atherosclerotic vessels are used to reconstruct the 3D model fed into a simulation program to measure the stress, strain, pressure, and velocity to assess the plaque. Five analyses studies were conducted on the constructed blood vessels; Non-pathological Flow in a cylindrical artery, Pathological Flow in a cylindrical artery, Non-pathological Flow in a 2D bifurcating carotid artery, Blood flow analysis in a normal carotid artery, and Blood flow analysis in a stenosed carotid artery. Two validation studies were performed for normal and atherosclerotic arteries. The results agreed with previous well-published work, considering that a 3D realistic model was printed for the vessel. Based on the above, our work provides a simulation environment for predicting atherosclerotic plaque behavior that helps medical specialists choose the proper treatment and preventive medical plans.