LATTICE BOLTZMANN MODELING OF THROMBOSIS IN GIANT ANEURYSMS

Abstract

We propose a numerical model of blood flow and blood clotting whose purpose is to describe thrombus formation in cerebral aneurysms. We identify possible mechanisms that can cause occurence of spontaneous thrombosis in unruptured giant intracranial aneurysms. Our main claim is that, under normal conditions, there is a low shear rate threshold below which thrombosis starts and growths. This assumption is supported by several evidences from literature. The proposed mechanisms are incorporated into a Lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for blood flow and platelets adhesion and aggregation. Numerical simulations show that the low shear rate threshold assumption together with aneurysm geometry account well for the observations.