Plaque rupture in stenotic coronary artery model: a numerical study

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a type of cardiovascular disease in which a wounded endothelial cell triggers a series of biochemical responses to repair the damage. As a mechanical response to the arterial wall, wall-shear-stress (WSS) is well investigated to become a significant contributing factor for atherogenesis and the development of atherosclerosis. This vascular wall behaviour could be utilised to predict plaque biomechanical instability and rupture susceptibility. Plaque has a significant function in causing blood vessel ruptures. This study used fluid-structure interaction (FSI) which is the combination of finite volume method (FVM) and finite element method (FEM) to investigate the deformable structure during internal fluid flow. Therefore, this particular approach has been implemented to investigate the features of stenosed with and without plaque ruptures under various situations. The von Misses stress (VMS) and WSS were determined. Results revealed that on both sides of arterial branch, higher WSS took place than below the plaque. Moreover, the highest intensity of VMS was roughly equivalent, when the distance between the plaque and the inner wall of the vessel was less than 65 μm, but the greater the distance, the greater the stress.

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