Computational Study and Analysis of Carotid Artery Stenosis

Abstract

Heart diseases and strokes are the major causes of death both nationally and globally in recent years. Carotid artery stenosis is one of the leading causes of these disorders, along with many others. The constriction of the carotid artery, which provides blood to the head, face, and brain, causes this condition. This constriction happens due to a plaque buildup in the walls of the artery, a condition called atherosclerosis. A computational study on different degrees of stenosis on an artery, mild stenosis (30% stenotic artery) and moderate stenosis (70% stenotic artery) helps to analyze the blood flow patterns and behavior, identify different factors that may vary due to stenosis like – wall shear stress, velocity profile, and pressure distribution. The viscosity coefficient of blood, a non-Newtonian fluid, depends on the shear rate. Two non-Newtonian fluid flow models, Carreau and Cross models, are taken into account for its analysis, and the numerical computation was carried out using ANSYS WORKBENCH ACADEMIC STUDENT 2022 R2 with user-defined function for pulsatile blood flow consideration. This study is expected to aid the physicians and medical practitioners, as it shows the proportional relation between pressure and stenosis severity, identifies the more stenosis prone areas through analysis and personalize treatment plans. It also depicts how Cross model predicts higher WSS values compared to the Carreau model, and so has more reliability for higher severity of stenosis.