Magnetohydrodynamic effects on blood flow through an irregular stenosis

This paper investigates the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects on the blood flow. Rheological properties of blood have been taken into account through the constitutive equations of a micropolar fluid. Unsteady nonlinear differential system is solved numerically by employing finite difference method. Explicit results of axial velocity, flow rate and wall shear stress are obtained and analyzed. It is found that an applied magnetic field reduces the blood flow rate. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical studies of blood flow in healthy,stenosed, and stented carotid arteries

Numerical analysis of pulsatile blood flow in healthy, stenosed, and stented carotid arteries is performed with the aim of identifying hemodynamic factors in the initiation, growth, and the potential of leading to severe occlusions of a diseased artery. The Immersed Finite Element Method is adopted for this study to conveniently incorporate various geometrical shapes of arteries without remeshing. Our computational results provide detailed quantitative analysis on the blood flow pattern, wall shear stress, particle residence time, and oscillatory shear index. The analysis of these parameters leads to a better understanding of blood clot formation and its localization in a stenosed and a stented carotid artery. A healthy artery is also studied to establish a baseline comparison. This analysis will assist in developing treatments for diseased arteries and novel stent designs to reduce restenosis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of intracranial stenoses and aneurysms with accelerated 4D flow

The aim of this study was to evaluate intracranial arterial stenoses and aneurysms with accelerated time-resolved three-dimensional (3D) phase-contrast MRI or 4D flow. The 4D flow technique was utilized to image four normal volunteers, two patients with intracranial stenoses and two patients with intracranial aneurysms. In order to reduce scan time, parallel imaging was combined with an acquisition strategy that eliminates the corners of k-space. In the two patients with intracranial stenoses, 4D flow velocity measurements showed that one patient had normal velocity profiles in agreement with a previous magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA), while the second showed increased velocities that indicated a less significant narrowing than suspected on a previous MRA, as confirmed by catheter angiography. This result may have prevented an invasive angiogram. In the two patients with 4-mm intracranial aneurysm, one had a stable helical flow pattern with a large jet, while the other had a temporally unstable flow pattern with a more focal jet possibly indicating that the second aneurysm may have a higher likelihood of rupture. Accelerated 4D flow provides time-resolved 3D velocity data in an 8- to 10-min scan. In the stenosis patients, the addition of 4D flow to a traditional MRA adds the velocity data provided from transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) possibly allowing for more accurate grading of stenoses. In the aneurysm patients, visualization of flow patterns may help to provide prognostic information about future risk of rupture.     

Carotid plaque high-resolution MRI at 3 T: evaluation of a new imaging score for symptomatic plaque assessment

Purpose

To assess the sensitivity and specificity of intra-plaque hemorrhage (IPH), large lipid-rich necrotic core (LR-NC) and ulceration or cap rupture (UCR) for symptomatic carotid plaque characterization and to evaluate a new imaging score [Hemorrhage, Ulceration or cap rupture, Lipid-rich necrotic Core (HULC) score based on the sum of presence/absence of IPH, UCR and LR-NC; range 0–3] for assessment of recently symptomatic carotid plaques.

Material and methods

Twenty-seven recently symptomatic (< 8 weeks) and 36 asymptomatic patients with a carotid plaque thicker than 2 mm were prospectively imaged on a 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) system using high-resolution, multi-contrast MR sequences. Prior to analysis, all images were reviewed to assess image quality of each sequence. Sensitivity and specificity of IPH, LR-NC, UCR and HULC scores were calculated.

Results

Fifty-one patients were analyzed (26 symptomatic carotids and 67 asymptomatic carotids) after exclusion of studies with poor image quality. Sensitivity and specificity for symptomatic carotid plaque was, respectively, 46.1% and 97% for IPH, 84.6% and 73.1% for UCR and 80.7% and 76.1% for LR-NC. A HULC score of 2 or more showed a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 92.5%.

Conclusion

At 3 T, intra-plaque hemorrhage is the most specific criterion to characterize symptomatic carotid plaque. The HULC score offers the best compromise between sensitivity and specificity.     

不同角度Y型狭窄血管血液流动的数值模拟

根据粘性不可压Navier-Stokes方程,建立Y型分又血管中血液流动的数学模型,进而采用有限元方法研究不同分又角Y型血管动脉狭窄位置对血液流动的影响,得到了不同角度不同狭窄位置和无狭窄病变时的数值模拟结果,主要给出了各种情况下血液流动的流线图和压力图.一方面,观察流线图可知,血液流经狭窄区域时,出现流动分离,并在一定区域产生涡流,且随着狭窄位置不同,涡流位置和涡流区域面积也随之不同;另一方面,从计算的压力图中可以看到当血液流过狭窄区域时,压力发生迅速变化,且相同分叉角度下狭窄位置不同,狭窄区域压力不同;狭窄位置相同时,不同分叉角度的血管分又区域压力也有差别.     

狭窄血管内偶应力流体流动分析

本文考察了血管狭窄对血液流动的影响,血液以偶应力流体表示,并在求解过程中采用了在管壁上流体质点无相对涡量的边界条件,结果表明,和Young的经典工作相比流动阻抗和壁切应力大于同样程度狭窄下牛顿流体的相应值,偶应力流体对狭窄的敏感性大于牛顿流体;在狭窄发展过程中,偶应力流体的流量要小于牛顿流体的流量,和牛顿流体相比,这些结果更符合生理实际。     

An unsteady analysis of non-Newtonian blood flow through tapered arteries with a stenosis

The problem of non-Newtonian and nonlinear blood flow through a stenosed artery is solved numerically where the non-Newtonian rheology of the flowing blood is characterised by the generalised Power-law model. An improved shape of the time-variant stenosis present in the tapered arterial lumen is given mathematically in order to update resemblance to the in vivo situation. The vascular wall deformability is taken to be elastic (moving wall), however a comparison has been made with nonlinear visco-elastic wall motion. Finite difference scheme has been used to solve the unsteady nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations in cylindrical coordinates system governing flow assuming axial symmetry under laminar flow condition so that the problem effectively becomes two-dimensional. The present analytical treatment bears the potential to calculate the rate of flow, the resistive impedance and the wall shear stress with minor significance of computational complexity by exploiting the appropriate physically realistic prescribed conditions. The model is also employed to study the effects of the taper angle, wall deformation, severity of the stenosis within its fixed length, steeper stenosis of the same severity, nonlinearity and non-Newtonian rheology of the flowing blood on the flow field. An extensive quantitative analysis is performed through numerical computations of the desired quantities having physiological relevance through their graphical representations so as to validate the applicability of the present model.     

Voice and airway restoration: Endoscopic placement of molds and stents

Severe damage to the vocal folds and upper airways after translaryngeal endotracheal intubation occurs with greater frequency and to a greater extent than is usually surmised. Videolaryngoscopic techniques have led to prompt recognition of endolaryngeal/endotracheal lesions in the critical care setting. Traditionally, surgeons have treated obstructive sequelae such as glottic, subglottic, and tracheal stenosis by major transcervical and/or transthoracic resective and reconstructive surgery. Endolaryngeal core molds and endotracheal stents have conventionally been inserted by open surgical techniques. As a prototypic case illustrates, evolutional methods of endoscopic placement of prosthetic molds and stents combined with endoscopic optical/suction instrumentation and laser photoresection allow the physician to restore upper airway patency and phonatory vocal fold function without resorting to major surgery. Delta scan topograms provide radiographic imaging of the major airways.     

磁场、多孔性和各向异性动脉壁有多处狭窄段时对血液流动的影响

建立一个血液流动的数学模型:多孔介质在磁场作用下,血液流过一段有多处狭窄段的弹性动脉;用一个各向异性的弹性圆柱形管道模拟动脉,用粘性不可压缩的导电流体表示血液,动脉有轻微的局部性狭窄,形成一段内腔局部变窄的动脉,并完成该模型的数学分析．详细阐述了血管壁参数对血液流动的影响,参数包括纵向和圆周向的粘弹性应力分量Tt和Tθ、血管壁的各向异性度γ、血管及其周边结缔组织的总质量M、完全栓管中粘性约束的贡献C和弹性约束的贡献K,并用图形表示壁面剪切应力的分布、径向和轴向的速度等．还研究了狭窄形状参数m、渗透率常数κ、Hartmann数Ha和血管狭窄区的最大高度δ,对血液流动特征的影响．研究表明,流动受到周边结缔组织（动脉壁运动）的影响式微,血管壁的各向异性度,是确定动脉材料的一个重要指标．进一步发现壁剪切力分布,随着Tt和γ的增加而增加,随着Tθ,M,C和K的增加而减少．壁面剪切应力分布的传播,以及壁面处阻力阻抗的传播,栓管与自由管相比要低得多;狭窄段咽喉处的剪切应力分布特性,完全栓管和自由管正相反．靠近中心线的俘获区大小,随着渗透率κ的增加而增大;随着Hartmann数Ha的增加而减小．最后,狭窄段非对称时,逐渐形成俘获区;狭窄段对称时,不出现俘获区,各向同性自由管（无初始应力）中俘获区的大小,比完全栓管中的小得多．     

Thermal contact stresses of bi-metal strip thermostat

The distribution of shearing and normal stresses on the contact surface of the two strips composing a thermostat is found in closed form. They are of local type and concentrated near the ends of the strip along a length almost equal to the thickness of the strip.