Inflow into saccular cerebral aneurysms at arterial bends.

To identify shortcomings in the design of conventional endovascular devices, we investigated the inflow features of untreated aneurysms at a variety of arterial bends using computational fluid dynamics. As a preliminary study, we analyzed the steady-state inflow for aneurysms created at U-shaped, twisted, and S-shaped arteries. Both the inflow pattern and inflow flux were strongly influenced by the shape of the artery and the configuration angle of the aneurysm to the artery. We revealed that the secondary flow generated in the parent artery is the dominant factor affecting the inflow. Our results suggest that the arterial geometry and secondary flow should be considered in the design of endovascular devices.