Zhuo Chen1, Yue Zhou2, Jingying Wang2, Xiaowei Liu1, Shuping Ge3, Yihua He1. 1. Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. 2. School of Aeronautic Sciences and Engineering, BEIHANG Unversity, Beijing, China. 3. Section of Cardiology, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We sought to develop a hemodynamic model of aortic and ductal arches using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and 3D/4D spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) fetal echocardiography and to investigate the hemodynamics of coarctation of aorta (CoA) in human fetuses using this approach. METHODS: We obtained 3D/4D STIC fetal echocardiographic images of the aortic and ductal arches (DA) in five normal fetuses. Based on these images, we simulated the hemodynamics in the two arches using CFD. Subsequently, we reduced the dimensions of aortic isthmus from 100% to 85%, 70%, 55%, 40%, and 25% of the original dimension digitally. Numerical simulation was repeated in each condition, and flow profile, velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress (WSS) were compared with those of the baseline normal aortic and ductal arches. RESULTS: With the progressive narrowing in the aortic isthmus, there were alterations in the flow profile, velocity, pressure, and WSS. The downstream vortexes disappeared, and the double helix profile became single helix. When the aortic isthmus reduced by 55% in dimension, there was an exponential increase in velocity and WSS and decrease in pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The aortic and ductal arch geometry and flow lead to the alterations in flow profile, velocity, pressure, and WSS in the aortic isthmus in normal and CoA models, which are conductive of ductal issue migration into these areas. A 55% reduction in the dimension of aortic isthmus is associated with exponential change in velocity, pressure, and WSS, a probable threshold for hemodynamically significant CoA.
OBJECTIVES: We sought to develop a hemodynamic model of aortic and ductal arches using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and 3D/4D spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) fetal echocardiography and to investigate the hemodynamics of coarctation of aorta (CoA) in human fetuses using this approach. METHODS: We obtained 3D/4D STIC fetal echocardiographic images of the aortic and ductal arches (DA) in five normal fetuses. Based on these images, we simulated the hemodynamics in the two arches using CFD. Subsequently, we reduced the dimensions of aortic isthmus from 100% to 85%, 70%, 55%, 40%, and 25% of the original dimension digitally. Numerical simulation was repeated in each condition, and flow profile, velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress (WSS) were compared with those of the baseline normal aortic and ductal arches. RESULTS: With the progressive narrowing in the aortic isthmus, there were alterations in the flow profile, velocity, pressure, and WSS. The downstream vortexes disappeared, and the double helix profile became single helix. When the aortic isthmus reduced by 55% in dimension, there was an exponential increase in velocity and WSS and decrease in pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The aortic and ductal arch geometry and flow lead to the alterations in flow profile, velocity, pressure, and WSS in the aortic isthmus in normal and CoA models, which are conductive of ductal issue migration into these areas. A 55% reduction in the dimension of aortic isthmus is associated with exponential change in velocity, pressure, and WSS, a probable threshold for hemodynamically significant CoA.
Authors: Ami B Bhatt; Maria R Lantin-Hermoso; Curt J Daniels; Robert Jaquiss; Benjamin John Landis; Bradley S Marino; Rahul H Rathod; Robert N Vincent; Bradley B Keller; Juan Villafane Journal: Front Cardiovasc Med Date: 2022-05-25