A blood flow with cardiac pulse in intracranial aneurysms using computational fluid dynamics (CFD): A comparison between transient and steady state regimes

Abstract

In this study the Finite Volume method is employed to simulate the blood flow in an intracranial aneurysm. For that purpose, the Navier-Stokes equations are solved in the computational domain of real aneurysms in a specific patient. This computational domain is obtained from MR images with a software designed in our laboratory. This computer program transforms the MR images (in DICOM format) to the volumetric mesh where the Navier-Stokes equations are going to be solved. The Ansys CFX ${}^{\mathrm{\circledR }}$ flow solver was used here to model the blood flow through the veins with the aneurysm deformation. The streamlines were computed inside the aneurysm with an inlet flow of 0.6 m/s. It can be seen a circular trajectory in the streamlines with the maximum values at the veins adjacent to the deformation. The wall shear stress was computed and exhibits its intermediate value at the aneurysm zone. Finally, the total pressure on the aneurysm wall is presented. It can be seen that the maximum value of the pressure field is located at the aneurysm place.