ARUP; ISBN: 978-0-9562121-5-3 - CMBBE 2012 - Cardiff University

NUMERICAL EVALUATION AND MEDICAL COMPARISON OF
ANEURYSM TREATMENT EFFICIENCY USING TRANSIENT CFD
ANALYSIS
ABSTRACT
E.Sunbuloglu 1 , B.Erdem 2 , E.Bozdag 3 and C.Islak 4
Aneurysm rupture due to insufficient and/or inaccurate treatment is one of the major
problems of invasive radiology. The main reasons for such deficits are aneurysm
localization and improper stent geometry selection based on previous experience of the
surgeon disregarding the physical facts of each unique patient. In this study, CFD
analysis of various types of intracranial aneurysms located on ICA were conducted. 3D
models of aneurysms were obtained from diagnostic data of patients in STL format,
using which 3D solid models of the lumens were obtained and meshed. Transient
boundary conditions to simulate the variations of flow as to normal heartbeat were
applied to model, as well as a nonlinear viscosity model for blood. All of the patient
data analyzed had medical evidence pre-op and follow-up results, along with original
stent location and strut-angle data after deployment. Results from CFD were compared
against medical outcomes, and level of treatment success was related to numerical
outcomes that would be easy and feasible to track during a stent deployment progress. It
has been shown that the numerical prediction is in good correlation with medical
outcomes, but other factors such as localization of aneurysm and surrounding tissues
should also be considered while elaborating on the results.
KEYWORDS: Aneurysm Treatment, Silk Stent, Flow Diverter, Hemodynamics
1. INTRODUCTION
Aneurysm rupture due to insufficient and/or inaccurate treatment is one of the major
problems of invasive radiology. The main reasons for such deficits are aneurysm
localization and improper stent geometry selection based on previous experience of the
surgeon disregarding the physical facts of each unique patient. According to
angiography and autopsy studies, intracranial aneurysms have a prevalence of 0.5% to
6% in adults; while unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) may affect between 2 to
10 % of the entire population.
Ruptured intracranial aneurysms mostly cause subarachnoid hemorrhage, resulting in
significant morbidity and mortality. A multinational World Health Organization study
1
Ph.D., Lecturer, Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Inonu Cad. No:65
34437, Gumussuyu, Beyoglu – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
2
M.Sc., Research Assistant, Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Inonu
Cad. No:65 34437, Gumussuyu, Beyoglu – ISTANBUL, TURKEY.
3
Ph.D., Lecturer, Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Inonu Cad. No:65
34437, Gumussuyu, Beyoglu – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
4
Ph.D., Professor, Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of NeuroRadiology.