Hemodynamic Impact of Snoring on Carotid Artery after Stent Implantation: The Role of Oscillation

Abstract

Purpose Snoring is common in overweight and old patients treated by endovascular stenting. Studies have proved a correlation between snoring and carotid stenosis, thus, snoring after carotid artery stenting (CAS) might promote or worsen clinical performance. Methods This study tested this hypothesis by constructing a patient-specific carotid bifurcation model and numerically analyzing hemodynamic changes of the carotid artery under different snoring conditions. These conditions included small and large amplitude, low and high frequency, and different age groups. Results The results found that high amplitude snoring suppressed the disturbed flow at the stented segment, while the downstream region of ICA became more chaotic, accounting for in-stent intimal restenosis and thrombosis. Furthermore, local blood flow patterns of elder groups with snoring symptoms were more likely to be changed due to low-speed flow, increasing the possibility of vascular remodeling and thrombosis. Besides, increased snoring frequency hardly influenced the local disturbed flow. Conclusions Therefore, older adults should receive medical treatment actively after stenting for high amplitude snoring as soon as possible to avoid potential adverse events.