Unsteady wall shear stress analysis from image-based computational fluid dynamic aneurysm models under Newtonian and Casson rheological models.

The aim of this work was to determine whether or not Newtonian rheology assumption in image-based patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) cerebrovascular models harboring cerebral aneurysms may affect the hemodynamics characteristics, which have been previously associated with aneurysm progression and rupture. Ten patients with cerebral aneurysms with lobulations were considered. CFD models were reconstructed from 3DRA and 4DCTA images by means of region growing, deformable models, and an advancing front technique. Patient-specific FEM blood flow simulations were performed under Newtonian and Casson rheological models. Wall shear stress (WSS) maps were created and distributions were compared at the end diastole. Regions of lower WSS (lobulation) and higher WSS (neck) were identified. WSS changes in time were analyzed. Maximum, minimum and time-averaged values were calculated and statistically compared. WSS characterization remained unchanged. At high WSS regions, Casson rheology systematically produced higher WSS minimum, maximum and time-averaged values. However, those differences were not statistically significant. At low WSS regions, when averaging over all cases, the Casson model produced higher stresses, although in some cases the Newtonian model did. However, those differences were not significant either. There is no evidence that Newtonian model overestimates WSS. Differences are not statistically significant.