title: Risk assessment of atherosclerotic plaques based on global biomechanics.
abstract: We present the results of a computational study of the entire left coronary system simulated both at Newtonian level and at red blood cell resolution for a sizeable number of physiological conditions. We analyze the cardiovascular implications of stenotic plaques and show that the standard clinical criterion for surgical or percutaneous intervention, based on the fractional flow reserve (FFR), is significantly affected by system-dependent, local hemodynamic factors. A refined version, based on the new notion of local FFR response to stenotic growth, and accounting for statistical uncertainties due to flow heterogeneity, is suggested and illustrated.
authors.affiliation: IPCF - CNR, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy. simone.melchionna@gmail.com
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melchionna
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amati
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernaschi
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bisson
authors.forename: Sauro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Succi
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitsouras
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rybicki
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D053805:Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018570:Risk Assessment
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Fractional flow reserve; Hemodynamics; Red blood cells