Patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool for researching the role of blood flow in disease processes. Modern clinical imaging technology such as MRI and CT can provide high resolution information about vessel geometry, but in many situations, patient-specific inlet velocity information is not available. In these situations, a simplified velocity profile must be selected. We studied how idealized inlet velocity profiles (blunt, parabolic, and Womersley flow) affect patient-specific CFD results when compared to simulations employing a “reference standard” of the patient’s own measured velocity profile in the carotid bifurcation. To place the magnitude of these effects in context, we also investigated the effect of geometry and the use of subject-specific flow waveform on the CFD results. We quantified these differences by examining the pointwise percent error of the mean wall shear stress (WSS) and the oscillatory shear index (OSI) and by computing the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) between axial profiles of the mean WSS and OSI in the internal carotid artery bulb. The parabolic inlet velocity profile produced the most similar mean WSS and OSI to simulations employing the real patient-specific inlet velocity profile. However, anatomic variation in vessel geometry and the use of a nonpatient-specific flow waveform both affected the WSS and OSI results more than did the choice of inlet velocity profile. Although careful selection of boundary conditions is essential for all CFD analysis, accurate patient-specific geometry reconstruction and measurement of vessel flow rate waveform are more important than the choice of velocity profile. A parabolic velocity profile provided results most similar to the patient-specific velocity profile.
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May 2012
Research Papers
Effect of Inlet Velocity Profiles on Patient-Specific Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of the Carotid Bifurcation
Ian C. Campbell,
Ian C. Campbell
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering,
iancampbell@gatech.edu
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30332
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Jared Ries,
Jared Ries
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30332
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Saurabh S. Dhawan,
Saurabh S. Dhawan
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322
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Arshed A. Quyyumi,
Arshed A. Quyyumi
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322
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W. Robert Taylor,
W. Robert Taylor
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332; Division of Cardiology,Department of Medicine,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322; Cardiology Division, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30032
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John N. Oshinski
John N. Oshinski
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332; Radiology and Imaging Sciences,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322
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Ian C. Campbell
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30332iancampbell@gatech.edu
Jared Ries
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30332
Saurabh S. Dhawan
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322
Arshed A. Quyyumi
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322
W. Robert Taylor
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332; Division of Cardiology,Department of Medicine,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322; Cardiology Division, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30032
John N. Oshinski
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332; Radiology and Imaging Sciences,
Emory University
, Atlanta, GA 30322J Biomech Eng. May 2012, 134(5): 051001 (8 pages)
Published Online: May 25, 2012
Article history
Received:
June 30, 2011
Revised:
March 28, 2012
Posted:
May 1, 2012
Published:
May 25, 2012
Online:
May 25, 2012
Citation
Campbell, I. C., Ries, J., Dhawan, S. S., Quyyumi, A. A., Taylor, W. R., and Oshinski, J. N. (May 25, 2012). "Effect of Inlet Velocity Profiles on Patient-Specific Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of the Carotid Bifurcation." ASME. J Biomech Eng. May 2012; 134(5): 051001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4006681
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