Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patient-specific simulations of the hemodynamics in intracranial aneurysms can be constructed by using image-based vascular models and CFD techniques. This work evaluates the impact of the choice of imaging technique on these simulations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten aneurysms, imaged with 3DRA and CTA, were analyzed to assess the reproducibility of geometric and hemodynamic variables across the 2 modalities.
RESULTS: Compared with 3DRA models, we found that CTA models often had larger aneurysm necks (P = .05) and that most of the smallest vessels (between 0.7 and 1.0 mm in diameter) could not be reconstructed successfully with CTA. With respect to the values measured in the 3DRA models, the flow rate differed by 14.1 ± 2.8% (mean ± SE) just proximal to the aneurysm and 33.9 ± 7.6% at the aneurysm neck. The mean WSS on the aneurysm differed by 44.2 ± 6.0%. Even when normalized to the parent vessel WSS, a difference of 31.4 ± 9.9% remained, with the normalized WSS in most cases being larger in the CTA model (P = .04). Despite these substantial differences, excellent agreement (κ ≥ 0.9) was found for qualitative variables that describe the flow field, such as the structure of the flow pattern and the flow complexity.
CONCLUSIONS: Although relatively large differences were found for all evaluated quantitative hemodynamic variables, the main flow characteristics were reproduced across imaging modalities.
Abbreviations
- 3DRA
- 3D rotational angiography
- ACA
- anterior cerebral artery
- AN
- aneurysm neck area
- BA
- basilar artery
- CFD
- computational fluid dynamics
- CTA
- CT angiography
- Δ
- relative difference between the 3DRA and CTA models with respect to the 3DRA model
- ICA
- internal carotid artery
- LWSSA
- the portion of aneurysm wall under low WSS (<0.4 Pa) at end diastole
- M
- number of cases for which the value in the CTA model was lower than in the 3DRA model
- MCA
- middle cerebral artery
- MCA M1
- MCA M1 segment
- MCA M1-M2
- MCA M1-M2 bifurcation
- MWSSA
- maximum WSS on the aneurysm wall at peak systole
- NQA
- QA/QP
- NWSSA
- WSSA/WSSP
- N90WSSA
- 90WSSA normalized by the mean WSS on the aneurysm at peak systole
- OSI
- oscillatory shear index
- QA
- flow rate into the aneurysm
- QP
- flow rate in the parent vessel just proximal to the aneurysm
- SE
- standard error
- VA
- vertebral artery
- VA
- aneurysm volume
- 90WSSA
- 90th percentile value of the WSS on the aneurysm at peak systole
- WSS
- wall shear stress
- WSSA
- mean WSS on the aneurysm wall
- WSSP
- mean WSS on a segment of the parent vessel just proximal to the aneurysm
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