Influence evaluation of flow diverter stent parent vessel coverage on cerebral aneurysm through the CFD-DEM coupling simulation

Abstract

Cerebral aneurysms are a type of cerebrovascular disorder where a balloon-like bulge forms in part of an artery in the brain. One of the developed treatments for large cerebral aneurysms is the Flow-diverter Stent (FDS) placement technique. Effective treatment outcomes in cerebral aneurysm treatment using FDS require proper placement of the device. Improper placement can lead to increased blood flow velocity and Wall Shear Stress (WSS) within the aneurysm, as well as increased pressure, which suggests a potential risk of rupture in large aneurysms. Considering these circumstances, this study evaluates the impact of FDS positioning on cerebral aneurysms by creating multiple FDS placement models with the device positioned proximally and distally to the aneurysm. Subsequently, we conducted fluid-structure interaction simulation analyses using the Particle Finite Element Method-Second Generation (PFEM-2) for the non-Newtonian fluid model of blood and the Discrete Element Method (DEM) for the FDS. This study reports the results of comparing blood behavior, WSS, and pressure inside the cerebral aneurysm based on the FDS placement position.

Full Paper