Modeling of Flow in a Straight Stented and Nonstented Side Wall Aneurysm Model

We investigated the changes of flow patterns in a blood vessel with a side wall aneurysm resulting from placement of a stent. Local hemodynamics can be markedly altered by placing an intravascular stent, which covers the orifice of the aneurysm. The alterations in flow patterns can lead to flow stasis in the aneurysmal pouch and promote the formation of a stable thrombus. Furthermore, a porous stent can serve as substrate for neointimal growth and subsequently induce a remodeling of the diseased arterial segment. To examine changes in local hemodynamics due to stent placement, a stented and nonstented aneurysm model was investigated computationally in a three-dimensional configuration using a finite element fluid dynamics program. The finite element model was studied under incompressible, pulsatile, viscous, Newtonian conditions. The fluid dynamic similarity parameter, i.e., the maximum/minimum Reynolds number, was set at about 240/25 based on cross-sectional average instantaneous flow. The Womersley number was set to 2.5. These values are representative of large cerebral arteries. The results of the stented versus the nonstented model show substantial differences in flow patterns inside the aneurysmal pouch. Flow activity inside the stented aneurysm model is significantly diminished and flow inside the parent vessel is less undulated and is directed past the orifice. A high-pressure zone at the distal neck and the dome of the aneurysm prior to stenting decreases after stent placement. However, elevated pressure values are found at the stent filaments facing the current. Higher shear rates are observed at the distal aneurysmal neck after stenting, but are confined to a smaller region and are unidirectional compared to the nonstented model.