Theoretical modeling of micro-scale biological phenomena in human coronary arteries.
This paper presents a mathematical model of biological structures in relation to coronary arteries with atherosclerosis. A set of equations has been derived to compute blood flow through these transport vessels with variable axial and radial geometries. Three-dimensional reconstructions of diseased arteries from cadavers have shown that atherosclerotic lesions spiral through the artery. The theoretical framework is able to explain the phenomenon of lesion distribution in a helical pattern by examining the structural parameters that affect the flow resistance and wall shear stress. The study is useful for connecting the relationship between the arterial wall geometries and hemodynamics of blood. It provides a simple, elegant and non-invasive method to predict flow properties for geometrically complex pathology at micro-scale levels and with low computational cost.
Wong
Kelvin
K
Centre for Biomedical Engineering and School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia. kwong@eleceng.adelaide.edu.au
Mazumdar
Jagannath
J
Pincombe
Brandon
B
Worthley
Stephen G
SG
Sanders
Prashanthan
P
Abbott
Derek
D
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D012039:Regional Blood Flow