title: Effects of walking in deep venous thrombosis: a new integrated solid and fluid mechanics model.
abstract: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a common disease. Large thrombi in venous vessels cause bad blood circulation and pain; and when a blood clot detaches from a vein wall, it causes an embolism whose consequences range from mild to fatal. Walking is recommended to DVT patients as a therapeutical complement. In this study the mechanical effects of walking on a specific patient of DVT were simulated by means of an unprecedented integration of 3 elements: a real geometry, a biomechanical model of body tissues, and a computational fluid dynamics study. A set of computed tomography images of a patient's leg with a thrombus in the popliteal vein was employed to reconstruct a geometry model. Then a biomechanical model was used to compute the new deformed geometry of the vein as a function of the fiber stretch level of the semimembranosus muscle. Finally, a computational fluid dynamics study was performed to compute the blood flow and the wall shear stress (WSS) at the vein and thrombus walls. Calculations showed that either a lengthening or shortening of the semimembranosus muscle led to a decrease of WSS levels up to 10%. Notwithstanding, changes in blood viscosity properties or blood flow rate may easily have a greater impact in WSS.
authors: Departament d'Enginyeria Informàtica i Matemàtiques, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av Països Catalans 26, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain.
authors: Josep M
authors: 0000-0001-7541-8936
authors: JM
authors: López
authors: Departament d'Enginyeria Informàtica i Matemàtiques, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av Països Catalans 26, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain.
authors: Gerard
authors: G
authors: Fortuny
authors: Departament d'Enginyeria Informàtica i Matemàtiques, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av Països Catalans 26, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain.
authors: Dolors
authors: 0000-0001-5251-2022
authors: D
authors: Puigjaner
authors: Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av Països Catalans 26, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain.
authors: Joan
authors: J
authors: Herrero
authors: Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Hospital Sant Joan, Reus, Catalunya, Spain.
authors: Francesc
authors: F
authors: Marimon
authors: Servei de Radiologia i Diagnòstic per la Imatge, Hospital Sant Joan, Reus, Catalunya, Spain.
authors: Josep
authors: J
authors: Garcia-Bennett
mesh_terms: D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D013927:Thrombosis; D014680:Veins; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: biomechanical model; computational fluid dynamics; deep venous thrombosis; international standard thrombotic treatment; wall shear stress