A Study of Flow in Atherosclerotic Arteries Using Virtual and In-Vitro Models and Its Implications Regarding Vessel Erosion

Despite the prevalence of atherosclerosis in the western world, many questions have yet to be answered about the origin, development, and failure of atherosclerotic lesions. To better understand atherosclerotic events such as formation and vessel erosion, a bioreactor chamber was developed using similitude theory together with human coronary artery parameters for geometry and flow conditions. The chamber was virtually validated using Ansys CFX. Simulations were performed under laminar flow conditions, density = 1060 kg/m3, and viscosity = 3.5 centipoise. We applied a velocity waveform at the inlet modified through similitude theory to match that of a human coronary artery. Zero relative-pressure condition was set at the outlet. No slip boundary conditions were prescribed at the coronary artery walls. The results showed that the novel bioreactor can create flow disturbances like those observed in human atherosclerotic arteries. In our future work, we would like to include vessel compliance and experimental data utilizing porcine arterial tissue. Our overall goal is to delineate the entire repertoire of events that happen during vessel erosion.