A 3D unsteady flow analysis in a doubly constricted arterial vessel

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the interaction between two mild atherosclerotic proliferations spaced apart by a distance S by analyzing their influence on flow structure, pressure drop and stress field in an arterial vessel under pulsatile flow conditions. This has been achieved numerically by employing a time accurate, cell centered finite volume method in solving the Navier–Stokes equations governing the 3D unsteady flow dynamics in a conceptual model of an multiply constricted arterial vessel. In comparison to the pressure drop across a single stenosis, nearly a 50% increase in the late systolic and early diastolic pressure drops has been observed across the two mild constrictions when they are spaced within a distance of S≤4. When S≤4, more than a 25% reduction in the peak systolic wall shear stress (WSS) on the downstream constriction is noted.