Numerical Simulation of Blood Clot Behavior at a Carotid Bifurcation

Abstract

Abstract In the current work, we simulate the motion and behaviour of a blood clot at a bifurcation in the Carotid artery. We use the open source flow solver Basilisk for this purpose. The interface between the blood and the clot is captured using the geometric Volume-of-fluid method. A time periodic velocity waveform is enforced at the inlets while Windkessel boundary condition is used for the pressure at the outlets. The aim of the current work is to investigate the artery branch (the bigger or the smaller one) preferred by the clot to move into. The results show that the blood flow and the clot prefer the bifurcation with larger diameter. The results from the current study are relevant to medical community working on the diagnosis and prevention of ischemic stroke.