title: Computational models to predict stenosis growth in carotid arteries: which is the role of boundary conditions?
abstract: This work addresses the problem of prescribing proper boundary conditions at the artificial boundaries that separate the vascular district from the remaining part of the circulatory system. A multiscale (MS) approach is used where the Navier-Stokes equations for the district of interest are coupled to a non-linear system of ordinary differential equations which describe the circulatory system. This technique is applied to three 3D models of a carotid bifurcation with increasing stenosis resembling three phases of a plaque growth. The results of the MS simulations are compared to those obtained by two stand-alone models. The MS shows a great flexibility in numerically predicting the haemodynamic changes due to the presence of a stenosis. Nonetheless, the results are not significantly different from a stand-alone approach where flows derived by the MS without stenosis are imposed. This is a consequence of the dominant role played by the outside districts with respect to the stenosis resistance.
authors.affiliation: LaBS - Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics, Department of Structural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. rossella.balossino@polimi.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balossino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pennati
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Migliavacca
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Formaggia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veneziani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tuveri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dubini